Tomo's Competitors
by ThImHu
Summary: Kagura's come to a realization about one of her 'rivals', but so has Yomi. Now a fully independent story that I plan on finishing soon. And look, I'm updating again. XD Ch. 13 up, 14 up within the next week.
1. Chapter 1

I've discovered that this was one small element in my Writer's Block; the need to write a fic of my favorite Azumanga Daioh pairing. I'll post it simply for critiquing purposes, and may continue it upon a sufficient number of good reviews. Again, this is mainly to alleviate my W.B., so don't expect a full story unless you want it to be.

I do not own Azumanga Daioh.

Chapter 1, "Thoughts Behind the Exterior".

"Don't be immature!" Kagura growled at Tomo, who was insulting her intelligence by gloating over a simple test result.

"It proves that I'm smarter than you!" Tomo countered, too full of herself to remember one key part of that test; "It was a _practice_ test! That just means you did well practicing it!" Kagura pointed out.

"So? I stand by it! I did better, and I'm going to do better than you, now and forever!" Tomo ranted, and decided to walk away. This left an angry Kagura to look after her. Osaka approached her.

"So what're you two arguin' about?" she asked, scaring Kagura.

"Ah! I…she's being herself again, that's what." She replied, regaining her composure.

"I wonder why she's that way…" Osaka contemplated, and then spaced out.

"…Right…" Kagura said, slowly walking away from her friend. She went over to Yomi.

"I see you two are at each other's throats. Are you ever going to change that routine?" Yomi asked, causing Kagura to flail about.

"She always starts it! She's so full of herself it's unbelievable!" Kagura complained, looking toward the subject. Tomo was currently 'challenging' Sakaki to one of her stupid ideas.

"She's been that way for as long as I can remember. It's one of the reasons…" Yomi trailed off, deep in thought.

"…One of the reasons…?" Kagura repeated, curious.

"Ah…it's nothing. Anyway, don't let her get to you. She feeds off of bothering people, so don't show her and she'll settle down." Yomi told her.

"So what's going on over here?" Tomo asked suddenly, scaring both of them.

"Since when can you be quiet enough to sneak up on someone?" Kagura asked accusingly.

"What's it to you? Why are you talking to her, Yomi?" Tomo replied, diverting her attention to said girl.

"Aren't I allowed to?" Yomi asked, faking a pleading tone.

"No. Anyway, come on! Let's go find something to do." Tomo changed the subject, taking Yomi's arm.

"At school? There's nothing to do at school!" Yomi protested, but was hauled off anyway, leaving Kagura to see them off. She had her own thoughts to worry about.

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Nyamo's class proved to be the battlefield for Kagura and Tomo. "I'll bet I could beat you running laps." Tomo challenged, simply to anger Kagura.

"You're one of the worst conditioned kids here, Tomo. I could beat you any day." Kagura replied, falling into Tomo's trap.

"How…much, would you bet?" Tomo asked, only to be dismayed.

"I'm not about to fall for one of your conniving schemes, so don't bother." The other girl responded, and began to walk over to the others.

"I wasn't talking about money…" Tomo informed her, coming up with another plan.

"Oh no? What, prey tell, could be running through your thick skull?" Kagura asked.

"If you win, I'll admit…that you're better than me." Tomo almost choked on the words, and hoped that she could actually beat Kagura.

"And if I lose…?" Kagura asked.

"I'll let you choose what you give me." Tomo smirked, figuring she could get some pretty good stuff. Kagura had another, more valuable prize.

"…Alright, deal." Kagura gave in, and lined up with Tomo on the track. The others noticed and gathered near them.

"Ah, Chiyo-chan! You act as the official! To see who wins, in case of a tie or something!" Tomo instructed.

"What's goin' on here anyway?" Osaka asked vacantly.

"I'm about to show Tomo who's superior here." Kagura told her. She was actually going to throw the race and let Tomo win, so she could _reward_ her.

"Alright, get ready!" Tomo interjected, and they made ready to run.

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"GO!" Chiyo called, and the two sprang from their positions. Kagura already had a small lead on Tomo, and she faked a light stitch to allow Tomo to catch up.

"Falling behind already, are we?" Tomo provoked her, and caused her to unconsciously run faster.

'_Damnit! She keeps distracting me!' _Kagura thought as she attempted to fall back. She than began thinking about what she would do after the race, and what might become of it, and she was so tangled in her thoughts that she never realized that she'd pulled ahead of a wailing Tomo, and subsequently passed Chiyo. That marked the finish, and her accidental victory.

"I…you…you're…b-better…than…m-me." Tomo sputtered, out of breath and defeated.

"…What's going on?" Kagura asked, and realized in terror that she had won.

"…Crap!" Kagura cursed as she left the others to stand and look after her, confused.

"Do ya suppose she wasn't supposed to win?" Osaka asked. "She didn't seem to be trying very hard…" Chiyo commented.

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Returning to Yukari's class, Kagura mulled over her thoughts. _'Well, I messed up earlier…maybe I could-'_she began to think, but was interrupted by Osaka.

"Hey, Kagura…about Tomo." The lightheaded girl said.

"Huh? What about her?" Kagura responded, not noticing Yomi, Chiyo, and Sakaki behind her. Tomo wasn't in the room at the moment.

"Why did ya try to lose to her earlier?" Osaka prodded.

"I…I didn't…I got a stitch, and then…" Kagura fumbled between her thoughts and actions.

"Why do ya always argue with her?" Osaka asked next. "I was…oh…well, she always starts it." Kagura answered, adjusting to the abrupt change in the questions.

"Why do ya always pay attention to what she's doin'?" Osaka finished.

"Because I-"Kagura began, and Osaka finished, "Cause ya like her?" she asked, grinning. "Yes – Wait, NO! She's an idiot! I have no desire to like her!" Kagura defended after her fatal screw-up with her words at that moment.

"Ya show all the signs of liking her." Osaka pushed further.

"Signs? Well…okay, she's my 'friend'. So what?" Kagura admitted, still oblivious to the others, who were listening intently to the two.

"Do you mean friends…or…maybe, 'friends'?" Osaka made the final push.

"The second one…wait! NO! I meant the first one!" Kagura defended, but lost to the oddly perceptive bubblehead.

"That's twice you 'messed up'. You…love her, don't ya?" Osaka asked knowingly, and the others made their presence known.

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"…I…I…Yes. I love her." Kagura broke down.

"Wow! You really do? But, why? I mean, you always fight with her and stuff!" Chiyo pointed out.

"She does do a bunch of things that piss me off, but…I love everything about her. At first I figured it was just natural to feel this way, and that I'd get over it. But…I…d-didn't. I always think about her, and I try to find out ways to tell her. However much I accept or disagree with it, I'm hopelessly in love with that idiot." Kagura elaborated, so only the others could hear.

"That's sweet! We should help her find out a way to tell Tomo!" Chiyo suggested.

"You'd really help me? Chiyo?" Kagura asked hopefully, to which Chiyo responded "Of course, Miss Kagura!".

"I'll help." Sakaki volunteered, thinking it as being cute.

"I'd be glad to help ya!" Osaka said.

"Nope." Yomi blatantly denied.

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"W-what? But what's wrong?" Chiyo asked, flailing about.

"Yeah, what gives, Yomi?" Osaka inquired. Yomi turned to a confused Kagura.

"You really love her, right?" she asked the athlete.

"…I just spilled my heart out about it!" Kagura retorted.

"I'm not going to help you, because…" Yomi stressed it out. "Because?" Kagura asked pleadingly.

"Because if you feel that way, that makes you _my_ competition." Yomi informed her.

"C-competition?" Kagura repeated, beginning to understand.

"That's right. You're gonna have to beat me to it." Yomi told her in a firm tone.

"You too, Miss Yomi?" Chiyo asked.

"That's right, but Kagura, I have to warn you," she looked to the girl, "I have years of advantage over you. Don't think it'll be easy." Yomi finished, then stood and stretched before exiting the room, leaving the others to stand there and think. Especially Kagura.

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End of Chapter 1.

Well, here it is. It's also relieved some of my W.B., so I might just be updating my other story soon. Just a reminder, tell me if you people want this to evolve into a whole story.


	2. Chapter 2

Well, I decided to update this and see if any reviews come in. If you do like it, review it damnit! It's possible I'll be working on this in lieu of my Writer's Block on my other story, as I cannot think of any ideas for that story at the moment; I exhausted my cache of thoughts on it for the moment. As always, I don't own Azumanga Daioh.

Chapter 2, "Awkward Interlude".

The evening of that day found Kagura pondering her dilemma. _'Crap! They've been friends since elementary school! I'm screwed!' _she thought in defeat, playing back Yomi's challenge. "Damnit! Why do these things have to happen!" she asked aloud, earning glances from people around her. "Err…maybe I should go…" she told herself, and walked away quickly. She got home, wanting to get away from the summer heat. "I wonder what she's doing now…" she mused, thinking of the object of her affection.

She wasn't sure what made her love Tomo; she always argued with her, and they didn't have very much in common. However, there were a few qualities that she admired in Tomo: energy, strength, and devotion to her friends. The latter quality, though, had shown itself only in the most serious of occasions. "Oh, man! This had to happen to me! Why did it have to be _her_?" she questioned herself.

She did her work to try and wipe her thoughts away, but it didn't work. In fact, it seemed to make it worse. "Gah! I can't get her out of my head! Maybe…I should…talk to her. Just to relieve some stress." She decided, and went back out. The sun was setting, and she considered waiting, but convinced herself it was for the best and headed to her destination. Upon arriving, she took a quick peek in the window. Tomo lay on her bed, apparently asleep. _'Figures. I was actually expecting something different?' _she thought, but ducked when she noticed the other girl stir.

"Aw, man. How long did I sleep?" Tomo asked, looking to the clock. "No! I need to do my work! Unless…" she schemed, and picked up her phone. After dialing and waiting for it to ring, Yomi answered, knowing full well who it was. "Hey, Yomi. You know the drill…what? You can't say no! Wait, don't hang-"she pleaded, but paused at the tone, "Up." She finished, and fell back on her bed.

Sliding the window open, Kagura slowly climbed into Tomo's room. "Yo!" she announced, making Tomo jump.

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"DAMNIT! Don't do that – Hey! What the hell are you doing here? You just broke into my room!" Tomo accused, trying to stop shaking.

"What, I'm not welcome here?" Kagura asked.

"…W-what? Y-you're not here to…bother me?" Tomo stuttered, completely confused.

"I just wanted to hang out with you…" the recently-intruder told her, trying her best not to flush red at the statement.

"Impastabowl!" Tomo declared, pointing a finger at her.

"W-what? That's not even a word! Anyway, I just wanna hang out!" Kagura fought back

"…Well…can I copy your work?" Tomo asked bluntly, causing Kagura to face-fault.

"What for?" she asked the hyperactive girl, stumped by her apparent transition from intruder to guest.

"Because I didn't do it, idiot." Tomo replied.

"Don't call me and idiot, idiot!" Kagura growled at her.

"Quiet! Anyway, can I? Yomi turned me down." Tomo informed her.

"She did? That's weird…" the athlete mused.

"It is? Why?" Tomo asked, cocking her head quizzically.

"Ah! Nothing! Never mind!" Kagura evaded.

"She always turns me down these days. But I guess I'm boring you, aren't I?" Tomo replied, changing the subject.

'_Yomi loves her, but she won't help her out? That's really weird…hey! Maybe this is a way I can get on her good side!' _Kagura figured. "Yeah, I could go get my work really quick." She told Tomo.

"…R-really? You'd do that?" the other girl questioned, even more confused. Before she could ask again, Kagura leapt out the window and sprinted home.

"This is going to be perfect! I've finally got an advantage now!" Kagura told herself as she got home, grabbed her work, and practically flew back to Tomo's.

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The next morning, Yomi entered the room and stretched. She was aghast to see Tomo and…Kagura…sitting together. "W-what's going on here?" she asked frantically, running up to them.

"Kagura was kind enough to lend me her help in my work. Unlike some others…" Tomo implied, and looked away to take a glance at something. While she was turned, Kagura smirked at Yomi, who snorted and walked to her desk.

'_Advantage: Kagura!' _ she grinned triumphantly. She didn't like doing that to her friend, but if it might psyche her out, she'd risk it.

"…Is she mad at me?" Tomo turned and asked, looking towards Yomi. Tomo looked at her best friend, and became dazed.

"Uh-oh…that's a bad sign…" Kagura whispered, worrying that she'd lost the upper hand.

"Well this is an odd sight." Sakaki interrupted her thoughts, walking over to them.

"Ah, I suppose it is. But anyway, I owe my life to her! Yukari would've killed me if I hadn't gotten this!" Tomo admitted, scratching her head.

"So, are you two friends now?" Sakaki asked, in an attempt to help Kagura along.

"I guess so." Tomo stated, earning shocked looks from Kagura, Sakaki, and most of all, Yomi.

"W-what made you two friends?" Yomi asked accusingly at Kagura, approaching them again.

"Well, she hung out with me last night, and she acted really cool. She's also nice enough to let me _copy_ a few _notes_." Tomo stressed, causing Yomi to silently curse herself for denying her the previous night. Kagura herself blushed at the statement, and turned away to avoid showing it.

"You could have told me that!" Yomi defended. "Well, yeah, but I actually had fun hanging out with her!" Tomo replied, slapping Kagura on the back, which caused the latter to blush even more.

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"Uh, hey, Tomo. Would you want to…eat lunch with me today?" Kagura asked quickly, mustering all her strength not to blush or blurt anything out.

"…C-come again?" Tomo replied, but she had no reservations about flushing a light red.

"Would you? I'm not trying to impose or anything…" Kagura told her.

"…I would…" Tomo responded, and for a split second Kagura held the thought that this was progress. It was ruined when Yomi forced herself between them.

"Aren't I invited?" she asked enthusiastically, but threw a glance at Kagura.

"W-well of course! Damn, I'm pretty popular today!" Tomo basked in the attention, and the three left together.

"Ya think we should help?" Osaka suggested to the others.

"Normally, no, but I think it might get ugly if we don't." Sakaki replied. She, Osaka, and Chiyo left as well, while Yukari stalked off to annoy her own rival. They arrived to find a spectacle; Kagura and Yomi were sitting unusually close to Tomo in the school yard. Tomo was lightly blushing, but otherwise masked it with her lunchbox.

"That's weird…" Osaka stated, although she really didn't have the right to say that, being Osaka. At the sight of their friends, Yomi and Kagura scooted away from Tomo, allowing the wildcat some breathing room.

"What are you doing here?" She asked the new group.

"We just…came up to check on you…" Chiyo replied.

"…Is this some kind of conspiracy? You guys never pay this much attention to me. Pretty suspicious if you ask me." Tomo implied, glancing at everyone present.

"Well, it's because-"Osaka almost blurted, but was silenced by the others.

"J-just ignore her! So, were you doing anything in particular?" Chiyo switched subjects.

"…Eating. You?" Tomo responded, confused.

"Well…" Chiyo began, and elaborated a made up set of events leading to this confrontation.

"So, what now?' Kagura asked, having remained silent most of the time.

"Lunch is about to end. We should head back." Yomi suggested, and decided to make a big leap; she took Tomo's hand and interlaced her fingers with the other girl's. Tomo was struck speechless as Yomi pulled her away.

"…I think you just hit a snag…" Osaka pointed out. Kagura didn't say anything, but she flushed with confusion, anger, and worry.

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Kagura invaded Tomo's room that night too. "Yo!" she called again, but was taken aback when she found Yomi there as well.

"What are you doing here?" Yomi asked, trying to mask her surprise.

"I could ask you the same!" Kagura retorted, not knowing what else to say.

"I come here all the time." Yomi bluntly informed her.

"…Y-you do?" Kagura asked.

"Of course." Yomi replied, and sat quite close to Tomo, the latter blushing and unable to speak.

"Y-Yomi? What are y-you doing?" Tomo asked hastily, backing away.

"…I'm not sure." Yomi lied, but also backed away. _'Damn! I just fell back down a couple of notches!' _she thought as Kagura jumped into the room.

"Damnit! What's going on here?" Tomo wailed, jumping up.

"Ah! Don't get mad!" Yomi tried to calm her.

"Yeah, settle down moron!" Kagura interjected, earning a glare from both of them. "Oh, right. Sorry." She apologized.

"Is there something you two wanna tell me?" Tomo asked, a serious tone in her voice.

"No!" the other two girls replied in unison.

"Go away! I want to think!" Tomo shouted.

"That's impossible!" Yomi joked.

"AGH! GO AWAY!" Tomo shouted, before forcing them out. They stood facing each other in the street next to the house they'd been booted from. No words were exchanged, but rather frustration and confusion filled their faces. They both turned and left without saying anything, each planning new ways to approach their angered goal.

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End of Chapter 2.

Well, here it is! Thanks for the reviews! And continue to RR!


	3. Chapter 3

Well, things seem to be going well for this fic! Due to demands from some fans, I'm making it a whole story! I don't own Azumanga Daioh, unfortunately.

Chapter 3, "Kagura's Disguised Date".

Yomi mulled over the events of the events only a few hours ago. _"AGH! GO AWAY!" _Tomo had yelled at both of them. "Maybe I pushed too hard…I was pretty aggressive, but I hope I didn't ruin my chances!" she thought aloud, throwing her face in her pillow. _'I messed up tonight, but maybe I can get her trust back tomorrow!' _she thought victoriously, forming an excellent plan in her mind, and then she decided to head out somewhere.

Kagura, on the other hand, was reeling in disarray. _'NO! I'm so screwed now! She must be pissed at me! I've gotta think of something to make sure we're still friends!' _she frantically forced through her mind, anxious about the new development. "Everything's going wrong! Why does this _always_ happen?" she questioned as she sat near her desk. She threw her head back, and thought about ways to win Tomo's affection.

Tomo herself sat on her bed, with innumerable thoughts swarming her. _'What w-were they doing? This is totally weird! First, Kagura wants to be friends, and now Yomi's randomly dropping in on me! And Kagura! I'm gonna find out what they're doing if I have to beat it out of them!' _she thought, doing a little homework before lying down to sleep. She was disturbed by a knock at the window. "Gah! Who is it now?" she asked, opening the window.

"Uh…can I come in…?" Yomi asked, a hopeful look on her face.

"B-b-but…I t-told you to go a-away!" Tomo stammered, but allowed the taller girl in anyway.

"Obviously that doesn't stand anymore." Yomi replied, climbing in.

"I c-can force you o-out, ya'know?" Tomo continued to stutter.

"You're really cute when you do that." The other girl said, sitting at the foot of the bed.

"I – w-w-what?" Tomo froze, blushing bright red.

"Nothing. So, are you mad at me?" Yomi evaded, and looked at her pleadingly.

"…No." Tomo answered, giving an exasperated sigh. "And you tell me I'm weird…" Tomo finished.

"…Sit with me?" Yomi offered.

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Morning found Tomo and her admirers walking together. When they arrived, Chiyo and Sakaki caught Kagura and took her aside, while Osaka took Yomi, leaving Tomo to wail in frustration.

"So, how's it going Miss Kagura?" Chiyo asked when they moved from earshot.

"I kinda messed up last night. I invited myself into her room, but Yomi was there. We argued a bit and she kicked us out" Kagura elaborated, "but I've got a plan to get back on her good side!" she said, forming a "V" with her fingers. She whipped out a second lunchbox.

"So you're going to give her a lunchbox?" Chiyo asked, showing her innocence.

"…Well, yeah, but I'm talking about the contents." Kagura explained.

"I made it myself!" They heard Yomi tell someone. They looked, and saw Yomi pushing a box toward Tomo.

"B-but…I have a lunch already…" Tomo replied, pushing the box away.

"Is it…my cooking?" Yomi asked tentatively, pressing her index fingers together and putting on a sad face.

"It's not that! Well…" Tomo gave in, and accepted it.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Kagura shouted, running up to them.

"I made her a lunch." Yomi stated, smirking.

"Well, so did I!" Kagura declared, and showed it.

"W-what the hell's going on?" Tomo asked, flailing.

"Cookin' Contest!" Osaka said. "Huh?" all three asked in unison. "Have Tomo test the food. Whoever's is better is the winner!" the lightheaded girl instructed.

"Not a bad idea!" Yomi agreed, and forced the food to Tomo.

"At lunch, we'll see who the winner is!" Kagura said, and also gave Tomo a lunchbox. They returned to their seats, leaving Tomo quite confused.

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"Alright, now try them!" Kagura urged Tomo to pick who was a better cook.

"…Is it edible?" Tomo asked, poking it with her chopsticks.

"S-shut up and just try it already!" Kagura retorted. Tomo took a bite of the food, and chewed it for a moment. Kagura looked on at her with hope, and expecting victory, but was horrified when she watched Tomo's face contort and her face turn a bit pale. Tomo remained silent, and reluctantly swallowed it.

"…No offense, Kagura, but…well, this food offends me." Tomo told her, and held her stomach.

"I'm not very…I was…sorry." Kagura apologized, but was hoping that Yomi's couldn't be much better.

"Don't apologize, not everyone's as good a cook as Yomi!" Tomo reassured her, but it only terrified Kagura.

"What…d-did you say?" the athlete asked. Tomo didn't answer, but instead turned to Yomi's food. Prodding it with the sticks, she took a bite. After a moment of savoring the flavor, she began engulfing it.

"Hey, not half bad!" she said as she finished.

"Y-you really think?" Yomi asked.

"…But did you really make this, Yomi?" Tomo joked, causing the other girl to face fault.

"Of course I did! I stayed up late making that!" Yomi yelled at her, and hit her over the head.

"I'm impressed. Sorry, Kagura, but she definitely wins!" Tomo announced. Kagura looked to Yomi and saw a teeth-bearing grin on the girl. "I wondered why you wouldn't get out of my kitchen last night. I figured you were just plumping yourself up on my food!" Tomo started rolling around laughing at her joke, causing Yomi to scream and attack her. Kagura only sighed and walked off in defeat.

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After school, Kagura was headed through the city. "Well, that's a few more points for Yomi. I have a feeling that I might…NO! I'm not going to lose her! I-"Kagura began, but was interrupted. "Lose who?" a familiar voice asked. "You!" Kagura replied, and stopped in her tracks. She turned to see Tomo, who was now sporting a deep red on her face.

"T-Tomo! I didn't mean it like that!" she defended, waving her arms.

"What do you mean, 'lose me'?" Tomo inquired, shifting uneasily and ducking her head.

"I-it was nothing. Hey…what're you doing right now?" Kagura evaded sloppily.

"…Don't change the subject!" Tomo ranted.

"Come on, what're you doin'?" Kagura attempted again.

"…Walking around. Why?" Tomo asked, cocking an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Well, I was wondering if we could," Kagura began, then turned to look and see if Yomi was lurking anywhere nearby, "…hang out?" she asked.

Tomo started to protest, but thought for a moment. "Y-you really wanna hang out with…me?" her voice cracked on the last word, intriguing Kagura.

"Yeah! So, what would you normally do?" she asked her wildcat friend, deciding to make a move this time; if it worked for Yomi, surely it should work for her.

"Well…what would you do?" Tomo replied, causing Kagura to sweatdrop. They went to a nearby arcade, where Tomo schooled Kagura in how to play fighting games.

"I've never been any good at those, so don't feel special!" Kagura told her.

"Of course not!" Tomo replied, smirking at her. They walked around, talking about trivial things that would be forgotten, but it was all working as planned.

"Hey, that's that new movie!" Tomo said, pointing to a poster.

"…Do you want to check it out? I've got enough money." Kagura offered.

"Really? Awesome! Let's do it!" the other girl bounced about gleefully.

'_That's right, do my work for me!' _Kagura planned. It was a romance movie, but Tomo went for it because there were a bunch of fight scenes and chases with guns blazing. During the movie, Kagura watched her target intently, the moment culminating toward the end of the movie. Taking in a deep breath, she made her move.

Tomo jumped, and then blushed when she turned to face Kagura. Her former rival was…holding her hand, and her eyes were shut tight. She didn't say anything, but a lot of emotions and thoughts overtook her.

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Walking towards Tomo's house, the two remained silent. _'I ruined it…everything's over. She hates me now...' _Kagura told herself internally. They got there, and stood facing one another in the fading light, a nervousness creeping into Tomo. Kagura almost felt tears well up when Tomo slowly backed away from her.

"I…I had fun! Thanks, Kagura!" Tomo quickly blurted before running up to her house.

"W-what…just happened?" Kagura questioned herself, wondering if that had been a rejection or an acceptance. She walked home, having gotten a lot out of the way tonight. "I wish it could be like that all the time…" she thought aloud. Sure, it was cliché, but she knew that Yomi was still a big obstacle.

Tomo was confused as well. _'Th-they're acting so weird…and Kagura…she held my hand? Was it the movie? Yeah, that's it! But what about Yomi?'_ she thought, throwing herself onto her bed. She hadn't bothered to examine anything in her room.

"You were out?" an anxious and yet malevolent voice surmised.

"ACK!" Tomo screamed, jumping up and backing away. She stared back, right into Yomi's eyes.

"Were you with Kagura?" the intruder asked hesitantly.

"What are you doing in my house? I wasn't even here!" Tomo rambled, ignoring the previous question.

"You were…" Yomi sounded out the words.

"Why are you so worried?" Tomo asked, moving over to her friend.

"Because I…you…" Yomi faltered in her thoughts, and couldn't find her words at the moment.

"I'm assuming you're going to stay a while?" Tomo asked, moving over to a desk.

"…Maybe tomorrow…" Yomi said, mostly to herself, and left. Walking home, she began flailing. "Damn! I've gotta keep an eye on her! Maybe one of the others…?" she planned, and then began cackling evilly at her new plan.

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End of Chapter 3.

Sorry if they seem a bit (or lot) OOC, but I'm working on a layout for the rest of the story. Don't worry, any OOCness will be eliminated soon enough! So RR!


	4. Chapter 4

Well, here's No. 4. RR it, as per ordinance. I am not the owner of Azumanga Daioh.

Chapter 4, "First Confrontation".

"Alright! Today I'm going to see who's smarter: Me or Chiyo-chan!" Tomo declared, running up to the petite genius.

"W-what? But why?" Chiyo protested, waving her arms to ward off the menace.

"I think we already know the answer to that. Don't even bother, Tomo." Yomi interjected, releasing an exasperated sigh.

"I know! I'm so much smarter!" the energetic girl commented.

"Ugh. Sit down! Class is gonna start in a minute!" Kagura told her, and did so herself.

"Oh, so you're all gangin' up on me, eh? I see how it is; you're all working together against me, like a conspiracy, aren't you?" Tomo ranted, but sat down anyway.

"Drop it!" Yomi and Kagura shouted in unison, just as Yukari had walked in. Said teacher also had a pounding headache, to which the shouting didn't offer any help.

"Quiet! My head's throbbing!" she complained at her students.

"I wonder why…?" Tomo implied, feigning interest. It was met by a swift assault to her head. "Ah!" Tomo cried, rubbing the bump that was quickly forming. "There, now ya know how I feel right now. Now everyone sit down and get ready!" She yelled, and grabbed her head afterwards. During Yukari's ramblings (teaching), Kagura doodled in her notebook.

'_She doesn't seem to be apprehensive or anything…maybe it's a sign?' _she thought as she drew a picture of a cat with bandages all over it, to Sakaki's horror.

Yomi dwelled on other thoughts, though. _'Who does she think she is, sneaking Tomo off like that? She doesn't even deserve Tomo! I'm the one who's been her friend since…well, forever! I'm going to tell her that, too!' _she thought as she did some work. Every once in a while glances would be exchanged between the three, most from the awkward feelings circulating between them.

-----------

At break, Yomi took Kagura away from the room, and far away from Tomo. "What's the deal?" the athlete asked, yanking free from Yomi's grasp.

"I understand how you feel, Kagura, but you should just let it go now." Yomi instructed, trying her best to sound cold.

"Why should I? I have the same chances as you." Kagura pointed out.

"That's not my point. You have a _crush_ on her. I actually know her; we've been together since elementary school. No offense, but I have more of a privilege to her. I'm just suggesting that you give it up." Yomi told her, but didn't flinch in the least.

Kagura, on the other hand, stood rooted in her place, mouth agape. "So basically," Kagura stressed her words, "you just told me to go to hell." She finished.

"If you want to interpret it that way, but in any case, don't bother with Tomo." Yomi finished, and walked away. It had actually hurt her to say those things to Kagura, but she figured it might give her the advantage.

Kagura, flustered at the confrontation, left toward Nyamo's class; her old class. Upon arriving, she found Nyamo in her office.

"Ah, Kagura! Can I help you?" the teacher asked cheerfully.

"Well…not really." Kagura replied, causing the teacher to turn into stone.

"B-but why are you here then?" Nyamo asked again, regaining her composure.

"I guess I want to think…I basically got in a fight with Yomi…" Kagura told her. Reluctantly, and with a lot of effort, she elaborated the goings-on of the past few days to her former teacher.

"Wow…that's pretty heavy. But, what could I do to help?" Kurosawa inquired, fidgeting a bit.

"Well, since you and Miss Yukari are-"Kagura began, but was stopped when she was hit over the head by Nyamo.

"WE'RE NOT TOGETHER!" she screamed, drawing attention from rooms away.

"Alright, alright! Sorry, but…" the student replied, scratching the back of her head.

"But…?" Nyamo repeated.

"Well…everyone thinks that, you know?" Kagura informed her. "…AGH!" Nyamo screamed again, and began slamming her head on her desk. "Sorry! But…anyway, you've been in relationships, so I was wondering if I could get some tips?" Kagura asked pleadingly. Nyamo looked at her, intrigued, and closed the door behind Kagura.

-----------

"Miss Yukari?" Yomi approached her, hesitant as a result of the earlier assault against Tomo.

"Yeah? What?" her teacher asked apprehensively, but otherwise hadn't bitten her head off yet.

"I need your…advice." Yomi informed her tentatively.

"Really? What can I do?" Yukari grumbled.

"I'm desperate…actually, never mind what I just said! I need your help with a problem involving someone." Yomi implored, hoping her comment hadn't offended the rather unpredictable teacher.

"...Desperate? What's that supposed to mean?" Yukari screeched at her, angry at the implication.

"I'm sorry! But...help me?" her student pleaded again, quivering her lower lip.

"...Wow, you _are_ desperate if you're doing that," Yukari mumbled, taking notice of the action, "but I guess I'll help you. I mean, who wouldn't come to me for help?" the teacher falsely glorified herself.

"Well, here it goes." Yomi began, and told Yukari everything: Tomo, Kagura, these altercations, and the whole gist.

"I don't know how to help you there." Yukari bluntly informed her, and yawned loudly.

"WHAT? But you...you have experience in this!" Yomi imposed, leaning over the desk.

"I do? Where did you...hear...that...NO! NO NO NO! I don't have a problem with lesbians, but I'M NOT ONE!" Yukari whispered as loudly as possible, not wanting to draw attention, and proceeded to smack Yomi repeatedly on the head.

"Ack! No, I'm sorry! Stop hitting me!" Yomi begged, numerous lumps on her head now.

"I'm gonna...I...fine. I'll help you, but not because I'm using it as experience for any of my own problems with people, so don't even think that!" Yukari rambled.

"Of course not, Miss Yukari!" Yomi agreed, sweatdropping.

-----------

That day's end was spent modifying plans by Tomo's admirers. "If what Miss Kurosawa told me is true, then it should really boost my chances!" she said confidently, imagining the results. Since it would involve taking her out again, she decided to find out when Yomi invaded Tomo's house. "She said she goes there all the time, right? I suppose I should too!" she resolved, and decided she'd do it right at that moment.

She ran the distance to Tomo's house in no time, and hopped in the window. It was dark out, so a lamp on the desk illuminated Tomo's hunched position.

"Agh! I'm no good at math!" she complained, solving a problem in her daily work.

"Need any help?" Kagura asked, making Tomo scream.

"STOP INVITING YOURSELF IN HERE!" she rampaged at Kagura, tackling her to the ground. The latter blushed brightly, but she wasn't complaining about the position.

"Ah...I...sorry. But you're being rude." Tomo apologized, helping Kagura up.

"You're really weird, ya'know? You're passing High School with the intelligence of a Junior High student." Kagura blatantly said, and got smacked in the head for it.

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" Tomo asked, winding her arm for another hit.

"You should pay attention at school, then you'd know that it's pretty easy to do math." Kagura explained as Tomo calmed down.

"No, I do pay attention. I just don't see the point in it." Her wildcat crush stated.

"...Then don't complain when you don't understand it." Kagura replied, exasperated, and once again helped her with her work. To her delight, though, that meant being there late, which allowed her to stay the night.

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The next morning, Yomi was disappointed to see them working together again. "I see you ignored my advice." She surmised, sauntering up to Kagura.

"Yeah, and I'm glad I did! I scored a few more points again last night!" the other girl replied, earning a glance from Tomo.

"Points? Advice? Am I missing something here?" she asked the two, to their dismay.

"No, nothing's going on!" they replied in unison.

"So, what were you two _up_ to, anyway?" Yomi asked, suspicious.

"Well...it wasn't anything in particular; she just helped me out a bit..." Tomo informed her. Although she herself wasn't aware of it, the other two were shocked at the faintest of blushes on her face.

"I'll bet! You two were..._doing stuff_, weren't you? Admit it!" Yomi ranted hysterically, grabbing the group's attention.

"Now, c-calm down, M-Miss Yomi!" Chiyo attempted, but was knocked away by the larger girl's flailing.

"I knew this would happen! Well, I'm ready to take care of you!" Yomi threatened deliriously, her mind racing through a hundred thoughts at once.

"Calm down! Maybe you should go out for a bit?" Sakaki suggested, but she too was warded away by Yomi.

"Something's definitely wrong here! Tell me why you're so freaked out!" Tomo demanded, which stopped Yomi.

"You mean...n-nothing happened?" she asked Tomo, suddenly aware of everything again.

"...Was something supposed to happen?" the hyperactive girl asked, but was muffled when Yomi grabbed hold of her in a tight embrace. "Excellent!" Yomi stated confidently, and walked away. "...Jeez, moody much?" Tomo guessed, although she had no idea what she was in for.

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End of Chapter 4.

Here's the end of this one. I'll be accepting votes from reviews to decide the outcome, so send them in already!


	5. Chapter 5

Here's another. Keep sending in reviews about your opinions!

Chapter 5, "The Lesser Divide, Pt. 1".

"Hey...Osaka...come here." Yomi called, waving the vacant girl over.

"What is it, Yomi?" Osaka asked, having been talking to Kagura moments before about athletics.

"I need your help. With Tomo..." the more settled girl requested.

"But...I'm helpin' Miss Kagura. She'd be mad if I started helpin' you." Osaka replied, thinking for a moment.

"Well, yeah, but...I really, _really_ need your help!" Yomi asked desperately.

"...Hmmm...I'll think about it..." Osaka finished, and walked away.

"Damn! It shouldn't be this hard! I need to get at least one more person to help me!" she mulled, hunching over her desk. Unable to read Tomo's feelings for Kagura, she decided she'd just ask it. Simple, but dangerous to her original plans. It might support her, or give her away, making it a tough decision for her. She didn't notice that Osaka had returned until the other girl was standing right next to her.

"Alright...I suppose to be fair, I'll help ya." She informed Yomi, who was cycling through joy, worry, and planning.

"Great! It really mans a lot!" she thanked the bubblehead, and began thinking of how to ask Tomo about her feelings concerning Kagura. She also wanted to bury the hatchet with Kagura, in terms of talking with her about this little competition.

"Kagura, I need to talk to you again." She informed the swimmer, walking over to her. "What? I-"Kagura protested, but was cut off. "NOW." Yomi commanded, and led her out of the room.

"Alright, what this time?" she asked Yomi, who fidgeted.

"Well...I'm sorry. "I've been acting pretty...well; I've been immature and selfish. I'm apologizing. Do you...forgive me?" she asked pleadingly, expecting no such thing.

"...Yes. I don't wanna hold anything against you, and we'd be friends no matter who got her, right?" Kagura answered, beaming.

"What? R-right! Of course, Kagura! I'm so glad you understand!" Yomi shook her hand hastily, and rushed off.

"...Is it a trick?" the other girl questioned, unsure of what had just happened.

-----------

At break, Yomi whisked Osaka away as well. "Is she talking to all of us personally?" Tomo inquired, looking to Kagura.

"...Not that I know of..." she replied, wondering that herself.

"So, what is it Yomi?" Osaka asked, as she was pinned to the wall.

"Alright, you said you'd help me. I want you to find out if Kagura will be doing anything with Tomo today, alright?" Yomi asked, hoping to head Kagura off.

"A-alright, but that's a little underhanded, isn't it?" Osaka contemplated, wondering if the others would be mad at her.

"Don't worry; I'll take the fall if you get found out. Now let's go!" the larger girl implored, and they returned to a confused group.

"What was that about? Is she going to talk to us, too? What is she talking to us about?" Chiyo asked, leveling an accusatory finger at Osaka.

"I-i-it was nothin'! Don't worry!" Osaka calmed the increasingly nosy Chiyo.

"What _is_ going on? Tell me, Yomi!" Tomo pouted, pushing her lower lip out.

"I...I...it's just, that we were going to..." Yomi faltered, almost unable to resist her crush's fronts. Regaining her composure, she settled Tomo down, while Kagura and Sakaki watched.

"This is interesting, to say the least." Kagura commented, watching the four argue with each other.

"What'll happen...to whoever loses?" Sakaki asked reluctantly. It was actually a thought that hadn't really crossed Kagura's mind. What if she lost? Not only would she lose her first love, but...what if their entire friendship was ruined? She was unable to respond, but watched the group intently.

"The loser would have to find someone else..." she responded weakly after a few minutes.

"Someone else? It wouldn't be that easy, would it?" Sakaki asked, perplexed.

"Well, no, but it'd be the only option. I wish neither of us would lose, but I have to win her!" Kagura stated, making a fist. Sakaki nodded, admiring her determination.

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A dull evening awaited them. Or at least it seemed so. Tomo walked the city, mostly because she didn't have anyone to hang out with. She thought about the events of the past few days, though. _'They're acting even weirder! I mean, I'd expect Kagura to be weird, but...not Yomi...she and I...' _she mused, unaware of the _way_ in which she was thinking about her best friend.

She didn't even realize it, but she was developing feelings for both of them. And of course, she thrived on the attention she received from them, enjoying the constant visits and things they did together. Not having them around really bored her. "I wonder what they're doin', anyway?" she imagined, since Kagura would have been home from practice and Yomi would have finished her work by now.

She suddenly remembered the actions Yomi had made towards her; holding her hand, sitting close to her, overprotective of her. It all fit the description of – "No! Impossible! I'm just thinking about it too much, is all!" she resolved, shoving the thought out of her mind.

In her mind, it WAS impossible; she didn't even consider the concept a possibility, until she thought about it more. She'd struggled to stay with Yomi for so long, and had considered Yomi's opinions and done things with her, so it fit into place.

On the other hand, there was Kagura. They'd been rivals for quite a while, but she'd slowly accepted her as a friend. But now, in the manner that she was acting, Tomo wondered if Kagura might also... "AGH! No! Stop thinking about it, Tomo! Just stop!" she growled at herself. She walked the distance home trying to think of anything but Yomi and Kagura.

On her way, she found...a gray kitten. "Cat? Huh, it must be a stray..." she resolved. Regardless, she moved to pet it. It quickly opened its eyes, startling her. It meowed loudly and rather vacantly, but approached her none-the-less. When it got within petting range...

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"AGH!" Yomi heard someone scream from a few streets away. She would've ignored it, but she heard another, closer this time. _'W-what? What if it's...a murderer or something?'_ she thought; even she thought it a bit childish, but you don't just ignore it when somebody is running around screaming their head off. Her thoughts were soon shattered by an abrupt, loud pounding on her window.

"Ah! No, go away! I-I'm not gonna die!" she yelled.

"YOMI, IT'S ME! Let me in!" Tomo cried.

"T-Tomo? What's wrong?" Yomi asked, opening the window. Tomo jumped in, and Yomi looked in horror at a slightly bleeding hand.

"Damn cat! I went to pet it and it bit me!" she pouted.

"What were you doing to it previous to that?" the other girl asked.

"...Nothing! Anyway, shouldn't you have gotten me some bandages a long time ago?" Tomo shrieked.

"S-sorry!" Yomi replied, and ran towards her medicine cabinet. She ran back with some, and fixed her crush's hand.

"So...what're you doin' right now?" Tomo asked, grunting from the pain.

"J-just some work...why are you here?" Yomi replied, and stopped when her friend held up the bandaged hand.

"I think you just answered your own question. Now, there _was_ something I wanted to talk with you about..." the wildcat said, unusually seriously.

"Y-you did? What about?" Yomi stuttered.

"Why are you two acting so...out of character?" Tomo asked.

"W-we're not! We were just...a-arguing over something!" the other girl defended.

"...I don't believe you!" Tomo responded, moving closer to her.

'_Crap, what am I gonna do now?' _Yomi asked herself, frantically looking for a way out of the problem.

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Pt. 1 is done; Pt. 2 will be up soon. RR!


	6. Chapter 6

Well, her you go. I will have more up shortly!

Chapter 6, "The Lesser Divide, Pt. 2".

"...I don't believe you!" Tomo responded, moving closer to her.

"Tomo, please, stop! Nothing's wrong, we're just in a little argument! That's it, I swear!" Yomi fought back, but still backed away until she fell back on her bed. Taking the opportunity, Tomo jumped and pinned her down.

"You're lying! I demand to know what's going on!" the hyper girl ordered again.

"No! It's none of your business!" the other girl denied, getting out from Tomo's grip and backing away further. Tomo jumped her and pinned her again, and was about to force her to answer when she stopped and noticed their position. Yomi didn't speak, but blushed at both her position relative to Tomo's and...the _thoughts_ running through her mind at the moment.

"A-a-am I interrupting something!" a voice almost yelled from the window.

"ACK! No! This is nothing!" Yomi protested, shoving the now confused Tomo off of her.

"Wait...Kagura! What're you doing here?" she then demanded, looking to the stunned athlete.

"I figured she'd be here, but I see you're already making your move!" Kagura retorted, citing the spectacle she'd just witnessed.

"Calm down, Kagura. Actually, you can help me with something." Tomo settled her.

"Yeah? What?" the athlete grunted, still wound up from before.

"Tell me what's going on between you two." Tomo requested.

"...No! It's none of your business!" the newcomer replied, earning a hit in the head.

"Fine, don't talk to me then!" she instructed to both of them. Before they could protest, she fled back to her house.

"We need to settle this." Yomi stated bluntly, moving over to her rival.

"How so?" Kagura reasoned, getting an idea of what she meant.

"One of us needs to make a move. _Fast_. Or else we're both screwed." Yomi told her. They looked to each other for a minute, before Kagura departed. "And if things go right, I'm gonna make mine soon!" she lightly chuckled at her own brilliance.

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Schoolwork was allegedly hard for Tomo, as her hand was wrapped up from the incident with Kamineko. "What? Do you want someone else to do it for you?" Yomi asked sarcastically; in reality, she wanted to help Tomo.

"Yes, I do! Start writing down my answers!" the wild girl commanded.

"...You mean _my _answers?" the other girl stressed.

"Yes! Hey, where is everyone?" Tomo asked, noticing the general emptiness of the room; herself, Yomi, Yukari, and Chiyo, along with the few other students she didn't know, and didn't really care to.

"So...Kagura tells me you're acting weird...like saying bad things to her and stuff, ya'know?" Tomo lied, prying about the questions she'd been asking.

"That rat! I mean-"Yomi faltered in her haste, and froze.

"Aha! So something IS going on. Tell me! Or else...I'll be mad at you!" Tomo told her, putting on a pouting face.

"Mad? So what? You always get mad at me." Yomi replied smugly, but Tomo shook her head.

"Mad enough to go...hang out with Kagura!" she threatened, and this did get a reaction out of the other girl. She stood up, overshadowing Tomo.

"No! Don't! I want you to hang out with me!" she demanded, but stopped and slumped back into her chair.

"Why? You don't seem to care." Tomo complained, wondering even more about what was going on.

"I...I need to tell you..." Yomi began; feeling defeated and almost did blurt it out, when Kagura entered.

"Hey, what's up?" she asked the two, curious.

"Not now! What were you gonna tell me, Yomi?" Tomo asked.

"I-i-it was...n-nothing!" Yomi replied, and hurried away. Tomo, in turn, chased after her.

-----------

"Yomi!" she called, looking for her friend in the crowded halls. "I can't believe she calls _me_ weird. Still...it seemed pretty important...oh well! I'm sure it wasn't _that_ bad!" she thought typically, and slowed her search down. After searching everywhere in the school, she decided, although against her better judgment, to check the roof. And that's exactly where she found her.

Yomi was standing, looking out towards the city. _'She had to go and ruin it! I could've told Tomo, and...and...then what? What if it'd become a scene? I suppose it's a good thing I got cut off, but still...' _she mulled, not noticing Tomo, who stared at her awkwardly from the door.

"Did I say something wrong or something?" Tomo called, walking toward Yomi.

"Ah! You...found me?" Yomi replied, jumping slightly.

"Well, yeah...it only took a couple of seconds!" Tomo lied, stopping right in front of the other girl.

"Oh...well, anyway, sorry if I worried you." Yomi replied, but her face contorted when Tomo started cackling.

"You thought I was _worried_ about you? You throw fits all the time, Yomi! I just figured you needed to let off a little steam!" Tomo laughed, causing a vein to pop out on her friend's head. Her reply was met by Yomi pinching her cheeks. "What are you doing that for?" Tomo yelled, pinching back.

Chiyo came in from the door. "Are you two busy?" she asked, a confused look on her face.

"N-no! What is it?" Yomi asked, throwing Tomo away.

"...Class started back up." Chiyo answered plainly, causing the other two girls to flail.

"No! This's your fault, Tomo!" Yomi faltered as she started back. She stopped when Tomo grabbed her arm.

"Tell me what you were gonna say before you left." Tomo demanded, and for the first time Yomi heard her say that in a firm, unwavering voice.

"...L-later, Tomo..." Yomi attempted, pulling her arm from her friend's grip.

"...Fine." Tomo snorted, and charged away ahead of the other two.

"I think I just screwed up..." Yomi cursed herself.

"What?" Chiyo asked, having overheard her.

"Oh, nothing. Come on, let's hurry!" Yomi evaded, and hurried after Tomo.

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The day ended, and Tomo stalked Yomi home, Kagura stalking Tomo. _'I'm gonna find out what she wanted to tell me. She's usually high-strung, but she was so...so helpless when she started. That's gotta be pretty major!' _Tomo schemed, planning on using whatever means necessary to ply the info from Yomi.

Kagura had other thoughts. _'She's spending an awful lot of time with Yomi. They haven't...no! Tomo's just being stupid or something! Still, I'm gonna figure this out, one way or another.'_ She thought, and silently followed the pair.

Entering her house, Yomi immediately went to her room. "Alright, now there's no Tomo to stop me from getting my work done," she stated, then sat a few more minutes, "...so why aren't I doing it?" she asked herself. She reluctantly admitted to herself that it was _because_ Tomo wasn't there; she thought about the girl all the time, and she slowly realized it was interfering with her work.

"Yo!" Tomo announced, jumping into the room.

"Wha...ACK! I'll kill you!" Yomi screamed, lunging for the intruder. Tomo easily stopped her, twisted her around and shoved her on the bed.

"No, I think it's the other way around," she responded, moving to close and lock the window, and then the door, "and now you don't have a choice. Tell me." Tomo commanded, standing by the door. Yomi was stunned; Tomo had never done anything so methodically and competently before, not to mention that she was totally cornered now.

"I-it wasn't that important, Tomo!" she reassured, but was cut short when Tomo began walking over to her. Tomo continued to advance, forcing Yomi to crawl back on her bed. She almost instantly glowed close to neon when Tomo moved over her, their faces inches apart.

"Tell me." Tomo requested again, hurt in her voice now. The awkward position caused Yomi to unwillingly perform the act she'd been trying to hide: she closed the small gap and kissed Tomo. The smaller girl's eyes widened, and she flew back toward the door.

"Y-y-ya'know...m-maybe i-it wasn't th-that important. I-I...I'll t-talk to you later!" Tomo sputtered uncontrollably before running out of the room. Yomi said nothing, but lay down and cried into her pillow, dreading everything.

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Yomi walked to school alone the next morning. She kept a stern figure outside, but she was bawling internally. _'I r-ruined everything! I'm such an idiot, I didn't even think when I did it! No! Now everything's over!'_ she screamed internally, mentally slapping herself over and over again. At school, she sat at her desk, contemplating everything.

Soon after, Tomo entered the room, unaware of her surroundings. _'S-she...she...she kissed me...was it because of what I was doing? Maybe...that jerk! She pulled that freakin' trick to get outta telling me!' _she resolved, oblivious of Yomi's intentions. She sauntered up to her friend, who looked at her with an utterly terrified expression. "I see what you did there..." Tomo stated, a crooked grin adorned.

"I-I...what?" the other girl asked, lost at the statement.

"You had me fooled all night, but I figured out your little trick! Now tell me, damnit!" Tomo ordered. Yomi was perplexed: did Tomo even remember what had happened last night?

"I...I was trying to tell you...that I needed your help with some work." Yomi lied.

"...You _kissed me_ to keep from telling that?" Tomo asked in bewilderment.

'_Does she really think that?' _Yomi wondered herself, but wouldn't complain if her crush was being her usual dense self.

"What's this I hear?" Kagura interrupted the dispute, numerous veins popping out of her forehead.

"N-nothing! Nothing at all!" they replied in unison. An awkward pause settled.

"Oh well, it's not like anything happened that _I_ would care about or anything..." Kagura huffed. She had eavesdropped on them, and had heard about that little interlude. _'I suppose I'll have to step up to the plate now...'_ she grimaced at what measures she might have to take to ensure she stayed in this little competition.

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End of Chapter 6.

Well, here's a little plot development. R&R right now.


	7. Chapter 7

Behold! It is the next chapter! I own not the Azumanga or the Daioh.

Chapter 7, "The Advance".

Kagura went through it over and over again, but faltered. She couldn't find any logical way of expressing her feelings for Tomo without coming right out and saying it to her. She sat on her bed, contemplating every possible way, and failed. "Why can't I just tell her I love her?" she asked no one, and fell backward. She closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep. She was hard pressed to make a move now; Yomi had...had _kissed_ Tomo already! _'It has to keep happening in her favor! Why can't I get a break?'_ she wondered, slowly falling asleep. She dreamed of her crush.

_She lay beside Tomo, no one around to bother them. "You were so stupid! I can't believe you didn't say anything before!" Tomo laughed at her. "H-hey! Shut up...you felt the same way, and you didn't do anything either..." Kagura retorted, blushing. "Well, I'm yours now. What do you want to do?" Tomo asked, causing Kagura to glow. "Well...I...I don't know." She answered, leaning in to kiss her girlfriend..."_. Her reverie was ended by her door being opened, the light being turned off, and the door being closed again; her mom, trying to "conserve energy". She went back to sleep, but couldn't grasp the dream anymore that night. Instead, she tossed and turned, cycling through thoughts and dreams, and woke up very tired in the morning. She got up, performed her routine of a shower, getting dressed, eating a quick breakfast, and rushing out the door to meet Sakaki. Instead, she ran headfirst into Tomo.

"Gah! Hey...Tomo? What're you doing here?" she asked, confused by the sudden visit.

"Uh...well, I thought we could...walk together?" Tomo replied, offering her hand.

"A-alright...I-"Kagura began, before Tomo snatched her hand away and kicked Kagura.

"Hahahaha! Stupid!" she declared, pointing at the now writhing athlete.

"DAMN...YOU!" Kagura wheezed, trying to catch her breath.

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They walked through the main entrance, and to class. "I see you two are spending more time together?" Yomi implied, watching them walk in together.

"Jeez, Yomi, settle down! It's not like we're dating or something!" Tomo retorted, causing Kagura to blush.

"Are you _sure_ about that?" Yomi replied harshly before leaving them.

"What's her problem? Now she's freakin' mad at me! It's your fault." The more energetic girl decided, snapping her companion out of her daydream.

"M-me? I didn't do anything!" Kagura defended, flailing about.

"She...she's getting mad at after she did that...I guess it really didn't mean anything..." Tomo trailed off, and unconsciously brought her fingers up to her lips.

'_Damnit! She's still hung up over that kiss...maybe if I did it...too...? No! I've gotta do something original and sweet! The only problem is finding out what to do...'_ she worried, remembering how Tomo had been in a daze for almost a week, sometimes not even noticing her. She suddenly wondered if there was actually something about that incident that meant more than she knew.

It soon passed, however, as she was hit over the head by Yukari. "PAY ATTENTION! Or do you want a record, like Osaka here?" the teacher asked, preparing another smack for the said sleeping girl.

"N-no, Miss Yukari. Sorry about that." She replied, sighing. She was more worried over the fact that she could think so much about Tomo that it would interrupt her work. She waited until the break, futilely trying to think about anything other than Tomo. She decided, among other things, that this break would be dedicated to finding something to do to take the advantage back. How hard it would be...

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"Hey, Kagura! Come here!" Tomo called.

"Yeah, what?" Kagura asked, a little more harshly than she intended.

"...What's your problem? Are you mad at me too?" she questioned accusingly, walking up to the swimmer.

"I'm not mad at you! I l...never mind." Kagura froze up and finished quickly, making a note to slap herself later.

"W-what were you about t-to s-say?" Tomo stuttered quietly, before regaining her normal, insane composure.

"I see! You're just being a jerk! I'm not surprised, though." She resolved, causing Kagura to become infuriated.

"I'm not a jerk!" she countered, although it was weak.

"Well, let's see: you usually put me down, you never tell me why you're sneaking around, you break into my room...yeah, you're a jerk." Tomo told her.

"I...I...shut up!" Kagura evaded, and scurried off under Tomo's smirk and cackle. She wouldn't deny that she did those things, but she didn't mean any harm by them either. More so, she used them as a way to distract herself from doing anything...stupid...that might endanger her chances. However, she wouldn't let Tomo's thick headedness deter her. During the last half of the break, she went to run an errand for Yukari. She made sure to walk by Tomo, and discretely brushed her fingertips across her crush's hand, causing the latter to shudder; not in a bad way, but surprised.

'_She's starting to act like Yomi! Damnit! I'm gonna find out what's going on...maybe...Chiyo-chan! That's it!'_ She schemed, eyeing her target. The petite girl was talking with Kaorin, and completely unsuspecting. She prepared to grab the small girl, but stopped when a hand took hers. She turned slowly to see Kagura, who wasn't fully looking at her.

"Uhhh...come with me?" she asked, not letting go of Tomo's hand.

"O-only if you tell me what's going on..." she replied, and allowed Kagura to lead her off. Yomi tracked them through the corner of her eye, but didn't make a move to stop them. Rather, she motioned to Osaka.

"You're up, Osaka. See what they're doing." She commanded. "But..." Osaka replied, having been on her way to talk to Chiyo.

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Osaka wandered the halls. "Where would I go if I were Tomo or Kagura? Then again...wouldn't it be if I were Kagura? Or maybe it's Tomo...maybe it's Yomi?" she infinitely attempted to contemplate, but failed. She'd been instructed to search for the two and spy on them. Hearing an obscenely loud laugh, she discovered Tomo in the gym, slapping Kagura harder than necessary on the back.

"You don't do it like that, idiot! There's _art_ to racing, a finesse that you obviously don't have!" she declared.

"Is that supposed to imply something?" Kagura asked grumpily. She continued, "Define _art_. I'm sure there're a few different definitions for you..." she finished, leering at her.

"Yeah, well, anyway, you totally suck at it. In fact, I think you might just suck in general!" The other girl informed her.

"Yeah? Well, I...HEY!" she yelled, trying to avert the subject back to her reasons for dragging Tomo off. She was cut short when she noticed that the other girl wasn't present any more. "WHERE'RE YOU GOING?" she screamed, and began chasing the girl.

"You obviously don't have anything important to tell me, so I have an agenda to keep!" Tomo responded. Kagura was about to protest, but began losing her balance when the terrain changed from hard wood to slick tile.

"Crap, crap! Help me!" she screeched as she tripped. Tomo stopped to turn, but instead was impacted when Kagura slammed into her. Trying to get her bearings, Kagura only slightly realized that her lips were together with another set; Tomo's. Said girl was now glowing red. After gawking at Kagura and hyperventilating for several seconds, Tomo released an ear-splitting scream and got up, before darting away under the stunned eyes of the rest of the student body. Kagura herself realized this, and hurried away to avoid any unwanted questions and/or presumptions.

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Tomo avoided Kagura the rest of the day. _'S-s-she d-didn't do it on...p-purpose, did she? I mean, she doesn't _like_ me that way...no, no, no! She was just being a pervert! W-wasn't she?'_ she pondered. She was even more scared about _what_ she thought of it; she wasn't mad, embarrassed, or anything. She figured it was an accident, but wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Why didn't she feel awkward?

Kagura, on the other hand, was reeling in distress. _'GAH! No! This is the _worst_ thing that could happen! I'm sure she's totally pissed at me...she probably thinks I'm some kind of pervert. I wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to see me again-'_her train of thought was cut short when a hand landed on her shoulder. She turned and looked up, right at Yomi.

"I, uhhh, heard about your little incident..." she said, not in a spiteful way, but comforting. This confused Kagura.

"I...well, with luck like mine, I'm not surprised something like that happened. In any case, I'm sure she got the wrong impression." Kagura sighed, laying her head on the table.

"I could clear it up with her, at her house-"Yomi began, figuring this'd be the gateway to her dreams, but was silenced by the athlete.

"NO! I mean...I'll do it myself." She retorted, hurrying off.

"Damnit! Osaka!" Yomi called to the spacey girl. At first she didn't notice, but she soon saw that Osaka was in the middle of spacing out. "OSAKA!" she yelled, which promptly woke the other girl up.

"W-what? What's goin' on? I'm sorry!" she apologized frantically, fearing it was Yukari, but relaxed upon seeing Yomi. "What is it?" she asked.

"Did you hear anything? I mean, going on between them?" the taller girl asked frantically.

"I...I..." Osaka stuttered. "Yes?" Yomi replied. "...I...I didn't have a chance before that thing happened!" Osaka wailed. Yomi stared at her for several minutes before grunting in pure frustration and charging off. "I'll have to do things myself then!" she resolved, and began readying her things for school to end.

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Walking around in the evening, Kagura actually _accidentally_ happened upon Tomo's house. "I...I suppose I should...apologize?" she wondered, and approached the window. After tapping on it, she was relieved and anxious when Tomo opened it.

"K-Kagura...?" she half greeted, half contemplated.

"I-is it alright if I come in?" she asked, fully expecting Tomo to yell at her.

"Y-yeah...i-it's alright..." Tomo replied, filling a surprised Kagura with hope. She climbed through the window, and was greeted by the warmth that the room offered. "T-today...today was...an a-accident...right?" Tomo asked after a pause.

"Yeah, I tripped up trying to chase after you." Kagura answered, putting a hand behind her head.

"It better have been!" Tomo suddenly spurted, obviously all of her nervousness having left her.

"I _am_ sorry about that, though..." Kagura admitted.

"Ah, no harm done! Except...maybe to my image..." the hyper girl pondered thoughtfully before standing up. Then she remembered something.

"Hey, what did you want to ask me?" she inquired, recalling the reason that incident had occurred.

"Well, yeah, but...but...what I wanted to ask you is...are you involved?" Kagura blurted, looking down from where she sat.

"Involved? Define involved." Tomo queried, seeing it as too vague.

"...With...Yomi?" she finished, just barely audible to a very surprised Tomo.

"...NO!" she almost screamed, but managed to keep her voice at a reasonable level.

"Really? Good! I mean-"she hastily attempted to cover her error from the other, fiercely blushing girl.

"It's g-good? Why?" she now wondered, just slightly catching on to more than Kagura would have preferred.

"N-no reason! I'll tell you some other time!" she sputtered before beating a hasty retreat. Tomo watched her run off. "...Does...does she..._l-like _me?" she asked, confused as to why...that didn't bother her either.

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End of Chapter 7.

It may be a bit vague at this point, but it'll clear up in the next few chapters; I'm not as ambitious with this one as I am with the other. And sorry for the wait, but I have school, work, and other such things to keep me from trying to accomplish much writing at all.


	8. Chapter 8

I'll try to keep'em coming, so don't get fussy or anything! I Azumanga not own Daioh do.

Chapter 8, "Summer High, Pt.1".

Over the weekend, Tomo pondered a new question. _'W-what if s-she...d-does..._like_ me? I mean...why would she? She's always a jerk to me! But still...the movie, the constant visits...the other day...'_ she slowly realized that she was indeed correct; if anything, Kagura at _least_ had a crush on her. "It's kinda weird and flattering at the same time, but why would _she_ like me?" she wondered.

She honestly couldn't understand why her rival would develop a crush on her. "But wait...if she does, and she showed it through doin' that stuff, then..." she said as it dawned on her: if Kagura showed it through such subtle actions, then...Yomi had to be in the same situation. "She was even more aggressive than Kagura. I could understand her maybe liking me a bit, but...what if she's a lot more serious about how she feels?" she put a hand on her head, trying to quell her stress.

As if on cue, a knock on the window signaled the arrival of one or the other. It turned out to be Kagura, who had adorned a meek smile.

After a pause, though, she narrowed her eyes, "What? You act like you were expecting me or something." She pointed out.

"At this point, I might as well..." Tomo mumbled under her breath.

"Huh? Well, anyway...would you wanna, like...hang out...or something?" she asked tentatively, and Tomo knew that this was the perfect opportunity to torment the other girl about her crush.

"Well, I don't know...I figured I might catch a movie, maybe even dinner with Yomi tonight, and then I'd stay over at her place." she lied, and was very satisfied with the results: Kagura's face paled, and she bit her lower lip.

"O-oh...I t-thought...what about tomorrow, maybe?" Kagura stuttered, falling for the ploy.

"She's taking me to the amusement park!" Tomo replied, although _that_ was true.

"B-but...but...a-alright. Well, whenever then, huh?" Kagura gave up, a disappointed look on her face. At this point, Tomo had to laugh her head off.

"I was just screwing with you! I'm free for today!" she admitted. Kagura glared at her for a moment before they got ready and headed towards the city.

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Seeing another opportunity to antagonize Kagura, Tomo waited until they were out of sight to take her companions hand and interlace their fingers.

"T-Tomo?" Kagura stammered at the action, but didn't make a move to break the coveted contact. After coming into sight of the public again, she broke the contact, leaving Kagura to yearn for more.

As Tomo expected, this act made her admirer more brazen, as Kagura now made discrete but frequent attempts to make some kind of contact with her. _'Wow, she really does like me! But...what should I do? I mean, I'm not even sure I feel the same way...not to mention...Yomi...'_ when she thought about it, she found that she actually _did_ have feelings for her best friend. They had been friends since elementary school, sticking together even though Yomi often got annoyed with her, and it was only natural that such feelings would exist; she had just pushed them out of the way for the time. But after recent events, she was finding it hard to think about anything other than the two of them.

"Hey, what's wrong? You look like you're mad." Kagura interrupted her.

"Wha...what? Oh, no! It's nothing!" Tomo denied, not realizing how deep in thought she'd been. Kagura was about to ask further, when an unusual sound perforated the sound of the masses: the sound of rubber squealing against cement.

"Either someone's speeding, or Yukari's pissed about something." Tomo decided. Unfortunately, it was the latter. They looked on in terror as their teacher's car flew around the corner, sped up toward them, and stopped right in front of them.

"What do you two think you're doing!" Yukari demanded from the two girls.

"Walking around, which I don't think is safe right about now. Tell us when you're headed the other way, and then we'll start again." Tomo spat at her, regaining her composure. The other girl, who was still in a state of shock, simply nodded in agreement.

"SHUT UP," their teacher screeched, slapping them both on the head repeatedly, "My driving is impeccable! It's all these other idiots that need to go take a test!" she continued, spreading her arms out to indicate the now-offended bystanders.

"Well, anyway...what are you doing, Miss Yukari?" Kagura finally managed to ask, still reeling.

"Well, you see, girls, _I_ have a life. And as such, I like to do things with it. Now, if you'll excuse me I have to go buy some gam-...items...yeah, items! Don't question it!" the teacher informed quickly before speeding away. The two girls facefaulted, before continuing on their little 'date'.

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Kagura was both fleeting and despairing over the events thus far. _'S-s-she's returning my feelings! Does she actually like me too? Or is she just jerking me around? It would be her style, but...well, I'll j-just have to find out!'_ She mentally stammered, resolving to take a snap-decision and push herself up to test her new boundaries.

At every chance, she attempted to make some sort of physical contact with Tomo, but the other girl seemed to conveniently pull away at the last second.

'_She definitely doesn't need much motivation, but I wonder if she actually...cares about me? I mean, it's probably just a crush, right? And I still don't know what to do about Yomi...damnit! Well, I'll enjoy Kagura's advances until then...'_ she decided, finally allowing the athlete to grip her hand lightly. The other girl blushed wildly, and ducked her head to hide it.

"T-Tomo?" she finally called after a while of the act.

"Mm?" she responded between thinking and registering the other girl's shyness.

"...N-nothing. So, i-is there anything you wanna do? I mean, in particular, b-because I'm sure it has to be pretty boring, just walking around with me..." she continued, almost shuffling instead of walking.

"Oh, no, this is nice...well, I mean...yeah, nice..." Tomo answered, to the surprise of both of them. _'Where did _that_ come from? I meant to say that we should be heading back! This is totally screwed up! And yet, it is nice...'_ she contradicted herself repeatedly, unaware of the now completely elated Kagura who held her hand discretely.

"It's l-late...later t-than I t-thought...I'll walk you home...?" she suggested, not even realizing the way she'd worded it. At that Tomo blushed, and slowly took her hand from Kagura's. The latter wasn't quite sure how to interpret it, so she figured that it had resulted from her last comment.

'_DAMNIT! I screwed up again! But...either way, I'm going to make my move when we get there...'_ she told herself; _ordered_ herself. Both of them were unnoticing of the quaint shadow that traced their moves and actions, a familiar shadow of the other competitor...

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The sun having gone down prior to their arrival, Tomo invited the other girl to stay over...against her better judgment. _'Grrr! I _should_ be scorning her or something, not encouraging her! At least not until I figure out my own feelings!' _the room's owner thought suddenly as she turned to her admirer. Said admirer was flipping through a magazine, though most of her attention was focused on her crush.

"Tomo...?" she asked quietly after a while of silence.

"Hmmm?" the usually spastic girl replied with a rather somber look.

"T-today...I mean, what with when we...when we held hands, and..." she stammered, unable to word it right. Instead of answering her, Tomo turned to look out the window, which was open on account of it being an unusually warm night. She had meant to see the stars, but was greeted by a malicious glare. Her scream let it be known that they were being spied on.

"So what's this I here about hand-holding? Staying over?" Yomi inquired relentlessly. They both faltered under the stream of questions, and scrambled to think of an answer.

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End of Chapter 8.

I'll try to have other chapters for my other stories up as soon as possible too! Sorry for the hiatus!


	9. Chapter 9

The finale! Unless you'd like to choose otherwise. In any case, tell me. I am not the owner of Azumanga Daioh.

Chapter 9, "Summer High, Pt. 2; And the Winner Is...!".

"What are you doing here?" Tomo asked, suspicious of the circumstances.

"Hey! I asked first!" Yomi replied blatantly, shaking her head.

"Can't I have a little privacy? I'm getting tired of you popping in every other night!" the spastic girl became riled, not the best thing in the world to do; not to mention the statement fueled Kagura's curiosity as well.

"She's here that often?" the visitor asked, now worrying about what kinds of..._things_ Yomi might have been doing.

"Yeah, she always comes over and bothers me now." Tomo explained while winding up her arm.

"You of all people, Tomo, _don't_ have the right to say that! And anyway, what's she doing here?" the intruder inquired, turning her attention to Kagura.

"I'm allowed to have friends over! In fact, maybe I had reasons for having her over tonight." Her admirer answered, causing her to flinch. Her eyes narrowing, she looked from Kagura to Tomo, then back to Kagura.

"Is that _so_? Well...why didn't you invite me?" she blurted, her feelings hurt now.

"Well, for one thing-"Tomo began, but then stopped and thought for a moment. "Hey...wait a minute! You're getting mad because I won't spend time with you, and yet we're going to be together all day tomorrow at the amusement park! What the hell?" she realized, and pointed a finger at Yomi, who hopped into the room.

"I...hey, we are, aren't we? I almost forgot!" she remembered, and put a hand behind her head in embarrassment.

"Jeez, pretty bad for someone who's got a..._crush_ on me...HEY! I meant t-to talk to you a-a-about that!" Tomo began stammering, and Yomi shot her head up in shock.

"WH-WHAT? Kagura, d-did you tell her about that? You j-jerk!" Yomi sputtered, shaking her fists at the other girl.

"I d-didn't tell her! It was pretty o-obvious from the start! Anyway, she's picked me, s-so lay off!" Kagura retorted. Yomi's mouth and eyes twitched for a second, before she erupted.

"**_WHAT!_** T-Tomo...Tomo, tell me she's kidding...!" she pleaded, a number of emotions plying across her face. As much as she'd like to shout a string of expletives at the moment, she would hear it out before making her decision.

"Yeah, she is!" Tomo agreed, and Kagura through a look in her decision.

"W-what? But I-I thought...today...oh, I understand." She resolved as her face became shadowed, and her fist began trembling.

"U-understand what?" her crush wondered aloud, watching the girl cautiously.

"That...that you were just screwing with my emotions!" she yelled, bringing her fist up. She subsequently slammed it down on top of Tomo's head, rendering the other girl quite dazed before she fled, tears flooding her eyes.

"K-Kagura, wait!" Tomo called, trying to get her bearings, before being stopped...by Yomi.

-----------

That night was restless for the athlete. Her feelings were torn between satisfaction that she hadn't picked Yomi..._yet_, and then anger because Tomo had led her on for so long.

'_What the hell would she do that for? I-I should've known b-better! I mean, jeez, she's Tomo for crying out loud. It's just like her, to mess with how I feel about her...I'm already confused enough about it, and now she's taking advantage of it to antagonize me! Well, I c-can play that game too...she'll get hers soon enough.'_ She decided, and attempted to get some sleep.

It didn't come easy, and even then she was plagued with confusion, anxiety, and almost every negative emotion a human could feel. After a night of tossing and turning, she woke up in the morning in a very uncomfortable position: on the floor, face-down.

"Ugh...man, I'd probably have been better off staying up all night...hey, I've gotta bone to pick with them! Tomo Takino will regret having screwed with me!" she raised a fist into the air, and as a result pain lanced through her arm from the position she was in relative to her action. She had already gotten ready for school, and was about to head out the door when... "Wait, what am I doing? It's Sunday!" she realized, returning to her room.

After more getting ready, she headed for the amusement park. "She'll regret messing with me!" she vowed, and hurried along. At about the same time, Tomo was awoken from a rather stressed sleep by her alarm clock. "Wha...oh, it's still early. There was something I wanted to do...ah! Kagura! I wanted to set her straight about what happened last night!" she decided quickly, and made to jump out of her bed.

She was stopped when she realized a rather powerful foreign object was wrapped around her waist. Looking down, she was torn between shock and amusement; a pair of arms. Knowing full well who it was, she attempted to pry them from her body, only to have them tighten their embrace. Turning her head, she looked straight at Yomi, who was still blissfully asleep.

'_I don't wanna let anyone see us like this, but...but I don't want to end i-it...do I really l-l-love her?'_ she questioned mentally as she made a note in her mind to have Yomi agree not to mention this, especially around Kagura. Slowly wriggling out of the unexpectedly powerful position, she got ready for their date...and Tomo was confused as to why she'd considered it a date without even thinking about it.

-----------

When she got to Kagura's house, Tomo was confounded to find that the other girl had left already. "Damnit! She's probably still brooding over it...which means she's still mad at me..." the thought sent a pang of guilt through her heart, and she suddenly felt as if it were all her fault. "I need to find out where that idiot went! Knowing her, she's gonna spill her heart out to one of the others if I don't fix it soon." Her instincts were voiced aloud, and she stormed off to check places she believed her admirer might go to.

Yomi awoke to find herself in her friend's bed. "I stayed over last night? And...whoa, what happened to my arms? They're positioned like I was...oh, no!" she remembered that last night, half asleep, she'd wrapped her arms around Tomo's waist. "She's probably pissed at me, otherwise she'd have woken me up!" the signs told her, though in fact Tomo had let her sleep because she _wouldn't_ wake up.

Getting ready quickly, she left via window to avoid suspicion, which actually did the opposite. Afterwards, she too checked Kagura's house, only to find that she had left and Tomo had already been and gone. "What is this, some kind of game?" she asked no one in particular as she hunted the pair down.

Kagura found solace in Sakaki, who invited her in after she found the worn-out girl on her street. After receiving an explanation of the events leading up to their meeting, Sakaki mulled over it with more interest than she expected. "Are you sure that's what's really going on, though?" she finally asked to a bewildered Kagura.

"Well, duh! I just got through explaining it!" she shot back, then looked away.

"It sounds like you overreacted a bit. Maybe you should talk to her about it, and sort everything out." The more stable of the two suggested.

"Well...I was trying to figure...and then she...I think you're right, I do need to talk with her. But after that, Yomi's gotta have her wrapped around her finger by now." Kagura broke down, sighing and throwing her head back.

"Presumptuous, aren't we? I'm sure she's feeling as bad about it as you are, Kagura. I'll help you, if you want." Sakaki offered. Kagura shifted and looked over to her. "Thanks, Sakaki." She accepted warmly.

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"Agh! I can't find her _anywhere_! Why does she have to do dumb things like this all the time?" Tomo stopped her search for a moment, and let out an exasperated sigh. She moved to continue, but felt a snag as something held her back. "Yomi..." she snorted, and she was correct.

"I thought we were going out today?" the taller girl looked hopeful, but she knew that Tomo had principles, and the spastic girl held tight to them.

"Yomi, I...tomorrow? Please?" she wearily requested. Although she wanted to protest, Yomi succumbed to the pleading look on her friend's face, and sighed.

"Alright...well, uh...see, there's-"she began, but Tomo finished for her, "-something that's been going on between you two. Care to explain?" the petite girl implied, and Yomi gave her a long, detailed explanation. When she finished, Tomo stared at her, mouth agape.

"JEEZ! I...I-I didn't r-realize that this was...so out of hand. You should've told me before, idiot!" she began her habit of launching insults, and Yomi took up soon after.

"It was obvious from the start! You're the one who's too dense to see it!" she argued. After an intense session of flaunting an unnecessary amount of vocabulary, they began to look together. They checked her house again, their friends' houses, and were left with one more logical solution; Sakaki.

"Wait outside!" Tomo commanded, walking from the now-taken aback Yomi. Knocking on the door, she was greeted by Sakaki.

"See, I told you she'd come looking for you." She said to someone Tomo couldn't see, and then moved to reveal the sulking girl.

"Kagura! It's about freaking time, I had to look everywhere for you!" she informed her.

"Y-you actually went to look for me?" Kagura repeated, almost unbelieving of it.

"Of course! I do have standards, ya'know!" her hyper crush replied. At that, Kagura couldn't feel mad for some reason. Instead, she only stood up and walked over to stand by her. And after that, she proceeded to beat the girl up quite fiercely.

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And so the two returned to Kagura's after bidding a time-consuming farewell to Yomi. After exchanging their thoughts on the subject they settled down for the night. Tomo was surprised at how similar Kagura's room was; it had the simple things, a bed, a desk, and a t.v...humble in her opinion, but then, that's what she liked about Kagura. And she realized for the first time that she was often thinking about the other girl.

'_Well...oh, screw it! I don't care about it anymore, I know how I feel now!'_ she told herself. As she sat down next to Kagura, she took the athlete's hand. She noted how the other girl was noticeably stronger.

"W-what is it, Tomo?" Kagura asked, half wondering if it was under the circumstances she had surmised the previous night.

"Kagura, you...you've got stronger feelings than a crush, don't you?" her guest began.

"H-huh? Wha d-do you mean?" she inquired. She turned to her, and she was surprised to see a bright blush on her cheeks.

"You c-care a-about me, right?" she continued.

"O-of course I do! I...I have to say this! I love you!" Kagura confessed to her.

Tomo blushed even deeper. "I thought so...I'm still not a hundred percent sure, but..." she admitted, but she was pretty close. The last of her defenses broke away when she looked at Kagura; the other girl's face held joy, relief, and hope.

Deciding it was finally time to find out, Kagura moved her arms and hugged Tomo tightly, to show her that she supported her feelings. At that, Tomo realized the feelings were mutual, and returned the embrace. When they parted, Kagura made her final decision. Slowly, cautiously, she placed her hands on Tomo's shoulders.

When the other girl didn't protest, she made her feelings known: she leaned in and placed an awkward, inexperienced kiss on her lips. Both of them reveled in the feeling, and it was a full few minutes before they parted and gasped for air.

"W-wow...so...y-you love me too?" Kagura finally asked, sorting it out.

"Well, I just let you have my first kiss, so I s-should think so!" her new girlfriend replied. All of her new emotions welling up at once, Kagura threw herself into Tomo's embrace, both of them losing their balance and falling back onto the bed. Sighing in content, Kagura rested her head in the crook of the other girl's neck.

While she was eager to find out how far Tomo would let her explore, she didn't want a full-blown trial-and-error scenario, so she was content to snuggle in her companion's embrace. Unfortunately, their happiness together almost assuredly wouldn't be able to mask the unavoidable conflict with Yomi.

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End of Chapter 9.

I've decided that this is only the beginning! More will be up soon, and I'll try to update "The Genius Bubblehead" as soon as possible! R&R!


	10. Chapter 10

And on to the next section in our story; Tomo/Kagura vs. Yomi! I don't own this Azumanga, but I do own the Daioh...actually, I lied. I don't own either.

Chapter 10, "All's Fair When You're In Love".

Stirring a bit, Kagura slowly opened her eyes. A lance of pain drove down her neck as she moved it, causing her to grunt in frustration, before another sense startled her. It was dark, so all she felt was someone's breath against her neck, and the warm embrace she was being held in. After taking a few moments to register these feelings, it clicked: _'Tomo! I...I...I told her I loved her, and s-she felt the s-s-same way! But...is it this dark already?'_ she glanced to her clock.

Although her eyes were still a little blurry from sleep, she made out 3:47 A.M. _'Well...early to bed, early to rise...I wonder if she might be a little uncomfortable?'_ she suddenly thought. Reaching beside her bed, she turned on a small lamp. Upon its light, she blushed; her face was centimeters from Tomo's.

"I...I-I wonder if maybe I could get away with..." she silently contemplated, and then grinned. Taking the risk of waking her girlfriend, she placed a small kiss on her lips for a few seconds before releasing her. She was surprised when Tomo giggled, although apparently still in her sleep.

'_She's cute...one of the things I love about Tomo..._my_ Tomo...'_ she smiled at the thought. It had shocked her at how calculating and decisive the normally insane girl could be. She was so used to Tomo's snap-decisions that she was still sorting it all out herself. And then another thought crossed; she was pleasantly surprised at how affectionate the usually violent girl could be.

"You're sweet, strong-willed, and wild. And that's why I love you." She whispered, and rested her head next to her companion's.

"And you're stubborn, smart, and beautiful, which is why I love you." Tomo responded out of the blue, causing Kagura to jump.

"T-Tomo! H-how long w-w-were you a-awake?" she asked frantically.

"Long enough for you to try and sneak that kiss, so it's only fair if I return the favor!" her energetic girl replied, and planted her own kiss on Kagura's lips. They both blushed brightly, and she released the athlete soon after.

"I love you..." Kagura finally managed to whisper as she re-embraced Tomo and laid her face next to the other girl's. Later that morning they'd need to go to school, but for this brief period, time seemed null and distant. Both of them finally got back to sleep. And so they stayed until the alarm clock woke them to get ready.

Reluctantly, Kagura released Tomo to allow her some space.

"W-well...I've gotta get back to my house and get ready, so...I'll meet you back here, alright?" Tomo suggested.

"Yeah, I'll wait for you!" Kagura agreed. She saw Tomo off, and watched after the girl with her heart swelling. "Yes! Now I don't have to worry about anyth-"she began, but stopped at a realization; "Damnit, we're gonna have to go through Yomi!" she cursed, and got ready so she'd be able to meet Tomo on time.

-----------

Confused, elated, and utterly joyful, Tomo readied faster than she ever had, just at the thought of walking to school with Kagura. _'Wow, I mean...I know I love her, but I'm practically head over heels for her! I wonder if she's as happy?'_ she suddenly worried. As with a lot of things lately, she began to have a bout of self-consciousness.

"I w-wonder if...if she wants me to change? Or maybe go further...? Damnit, this's just confusing me even more! I'll just have to talk to her about it." She decided. In all truth, all of her thoughts at the moment were keeping a pending, more troubling thought in the back of her mind; what about Yomi?

"If...what if she gets mad...or depressed...or something? She usually does stupid stuff when things like this come up. In any case, I have Kagura to support me!" she abolished her low esteem with the thought that she had a wonderful girlfriend. Running out the door, she zipped back to Kagura's to find the girl standing outside the gate.

"Took you long enough. We'd better hurry, I don't wanna be late." Kagura complained, knowing that they would be either way. On their way there, they would occasionally hold hands while discussing what to do if they had to confront Yomi.

"Well, I really don't have to worry. It's _your_ head she'll want on a pike." Tomo reminded her, and the comment sent a shiver through Kagura.

"What, are you cold?" she asked.

"N-no, I'm fine...say, do you think that...I mean, besides our friends, would anyone else care if we were...together like this?" Kagura wondered. Apparently Tomo interpreted it a different way, taking her hand back. They stopped, and she gave Kagura a sharp but forlorn look.

"Y-you...you're not...ashamed to be with me, are y-you?" she whispered, looking pleadingly at the girl. Realizing what Tomo was thinking, Kagura began to protest, but for an unknown reason she couldn't respond. Tears threatening to gush out, Tomo turned and ran from her.

"T-Tomo! Wait, what're you _doing_?" Kagura finally called, oblivious to what had just transpired.

'_S-so that's how she f-f-feels, eh? Well, fine then! I know one person who wouldn't care what anyone else thought!'_ Tomo thought dejectedly, running for her planned source of relief. Yomi simply walked forward, her heart drifting between anxiety and angst.

"She must be with Kagura...I'm beginning to think I've lost..." she brooded the thought for quite a while, and didn't notice the wailing figure approaching her.

"Yomi!" Tomo cried, throwing herself into the larger girl's arms, causing them both to topple over.

"T-Tomo? What? What's wrong?" Yomi questioned, concern starting to thicken her voice.

"I-I was...with Kagura, and...and...it's complicated!" Tomo sputtered, fumbling the words as she said them.

"C-care to explain what's been g-going on?" Yomi pried, content with waiting until she felt better.

-----------

At school, Tomo avoided Kagura at all costs, even to the extent of taking shelter behind Yomi. _'W-what did I do? This morning we were perfect, and now she...she doesn't want to have anything to do with me! Did I say something wrong?' _she wondered as she approached the two. "Tomo, what did I do? I'm sorry if I did something that hurt your feelings!" she tried to quell the other girl's anger, but it only served to stoke the fire.

"I'm still mad about what you said to me! If you really feel that way, then I'll just hang around with someone who _does_ want me!" Tomo wailed, and wrapped herself around Yomi, who's been silent up till then.

"T-T-Tomo...but...I thought that you..." Kagura faltered, wanting to bawl, but somehow managed to keep her composure long enough to back away. After she hurried away, the small pangs of guilt signaled Tomo's regret. Yomi wasn't complaining, though.

"So...what happened? You still haven't told me." She prodded.

"Nor am I going to tell you." Tomo replied, her fire beginning to fade into a normal attitude.

"Come on, why not?" Yomi tried again.

"Because you're too stupid to understand, that's why! Anyway, it's none of your business, so drop it!" her hyper companion regained her normal, wild side.

"Hey! Don't call me stupid, you idiot! And it is my business, because it had you running and tackling me into the ground!" she absentmindedly rubbed her back in the spot that had landed on the hard cement earlier that morning.

"Well, anyway, I have to go find Kagura! I _know_ she's gonna tell everything to Miss Kurosawa..." Tomo muttered the last part, and darted off before Yomi could intervene any longer. And she was right; Kagura was on her way to her former teacher, having not found her in her homeroom.

"Kagura! Wait, you numbskull!" an unnecessarily loud voice made her cringe and her heart jump at the same time.

"Tomo?" she questioned, turning to see the girl flying at her at full speed. Knowing that attempting to avoid her was futile, she did what came natural; she extended her arm out, which ended up catching Tomo right in the face. Falling in a heap on the ground, Tomo lay motionless after the event.

"H-hey! Tomo, w-wake up!" Kagura cried, slapping her across the face. After several moments of this, Tomo came to, almost unfazed. Unfortunately, Kagura hadn't noticed this, and continued to slap her.

"STOP hitting me!" Tomo yelled in rage, grabbing the other girl's arm and throwing her over her shoulder. After exchanging apologies, Tomo helped Kagura to her feet.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" the swimmer asked, cocking and eyebrow.

"W-well, I wanted to explain that...it's just, that I-I meant to..." Tomo stuttered, but came to an abrupt halt when Kagura hugged her tightly.

"It's all right, I forgive you!" she stated enthusiastically.

"Forgive me? For _what_? I've got nothing to apologize for! It's _you_ who needs to apologize!" Tomo screeched, and the argument began anew.

-----------

"So, what were you mad at me for in the first place?" Kagura asked, on their way to her house.

"I was mad because of what you said...which I guess I _did_ overreact about...but anyway, I'm over it." Tomo responded, grinning at her girlfriend.

"Umm...what did I say?" the other girl queried, causing Tomo to facefault.

"I-it was nothing important, and I actually agree that we...we should keep this under control. At least for now, anyway." Tomo told her, and hugged her.

"Uh? What was that for?" Kagura asked, confused.

"Just because." Tomo answered, enjoying the blissful moment before breaking contact and walking again.

'_She's obviously feeling better. And, she's been touching me a lot more recently...maybe...s-she...'_ Kagura thought, nervous excitement filling her mind and body. She decided that she'd experiment a little this time. They both entered Kagura's house, which was cozy in its own way; not without one quirk, however. Tomo couldn't help gawking at the display case of trophies and awards, many for Kagura herself, every time she entered the home. Entering her room, Kagura stretched out and sat on the bed. She patted the spot next to her, and Tomo moved to sit with her.

"So, we were able to avoid Yomi today, but-"Kagura began, but then stopped. A realization crept through her, and she suddenly came to a conclusion: "HEY! You ran right into her arms after we fought!" she wailed, and looked to Tomo.

"N-now wait a minute! I wasn't quite t-thinking right. And I-I didn't...I...I'm sorry, I was just being an idiot." Tomo apologized. She hung her head, not noticing the smirk that played across Kagura's lips.

"Idiot, huh? I think I'll hold you to that!" she told her.

"S-SHUT UP!" Tomo squawked.

"But you're my idiot." Kagura continued, pressing her lips to Tomo's. Tomo flushed bright red, but seemed to forget the other girl's comment for the moment as she closed her eyes and savored it.

'_T-this is it! My chance to see if she would stop me, or let me...'_ Kagura thought, mustering all her courage for the next act and waiting for the opportunity. On target, Tomo slightly broke the kiss to yawn, but only a bit. Pushing on, Kagura made her decision; she slipped her tongue into Tomo's mouth. Tomo drew in a sharp gasp, and immediately showed Kagura who was in control of the situation in her own way: she bit the intruding appendage. _Hard_. Kagura yelped in pain, becoming aware of what was going on and throwing her face under her pillow in fierce embarrassment.

"I-I-I'm s-so s-sorry!" came the muffled, frantic apology from her.

"W-what the hell are you t-trying to pull! That was freaking rude, and unacceptable!" Tomo wailed, jumping up from her position.

"I know! I j-just wanted to show you t-that I...that I care!" Kagura responded. Her body instinctively tensed from the tone in her voice, expecting to be hit, so she was startled when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. Tomo's chin came to rest in her back.

"You c-could've at least warned me before I did that to you..." she began hesitantly, rubbing Kagura's back. Kagura withdrew her head from the spot. Tomo smiled at her, and she smiled too before Tomo began slapping her.

"AGH! Why are you hitting me?" Kagura cried, shielding herself.

"D-don't **_EVER_** do that to me again without my permission!" Tomo responded, and stopped beating on her.

-----------

Again, they snuggled in each other's embrace that night. "So..." Kagura broke the silence, a blush already beginning to appear.

"Yes?" Tomo replied, turning to look at her.

"W-well...you said that I...I...could...kiss you like that if...I had your permission, r-right?" she flushed bright red at asking Tomo such a foolish question. Of course Tomo wouldn't let her! She's already forced herself on her before, so now there was no chance for it!

"I...y-y-you really...want to...I mean, with me...?" Tomo asked self-consciously, truly surprised that she'd want to after she'd beaten her up.

"Y-yeah!" Kagura replied, then clasped a hand over her mouth, knowing how embarrassing that had sounded.

"Uhhh...a-alright." Tomo sat up, as did Kagura. Taking her usual passive stance, Kagura placed her hands on Tomo's shoulders. Placing her arms around Kagura's waist, Tomo waited for her to make the first move. Kagura was surprised at how meek Tomo was in these situations, but then felt a growing feeling of pride at the knowledge that Tomo trusted her so much.

She began by slowly putting her lips on Tomo's, to which the other girl tentatively pressed in. Tomo squealed in delight when Kagura nibbled on her lower lip. As they were about to commence their experiment, there was a knock on her door, scaring them. Luckily it was locked, so they couldn't be walked in on.

"Kagura? One of your other friends is here, honey. I'll send her up!" her mom called to her. They exchanged panicked glances before Kagura reluctantly opened the door. To their dismay, it was Yomi.

"Mind if I come in?" she asked. Kagura would've launched into a string of rather furious swear words, but her mom was still there, so she allowed her in.

"What're you two up to?" she queried, glancing at an adorably embarrassed Tomo.

"N-nothing! Anyway, what are you doing here?" Kagura asked rather vehemently.

"I figured Tomo would be here." She told them simply, prompting Kagura to make a snap-decision, like Tomo would. Kagura sat next to Tomo, placing an arm around her waist and hand on her shoulder, showing a defiant look to the flustered Yomi.

"W-what are you...you can't do that! Tomo, I thought..." she gave a begging look to Tomo, but the smaller girl did the same thing.

"I...I s-see...if that's the case, then...then it's just as well..." Yomi said softly, although in truth her heart and hopes were shattered.

"Well, I-what?" Kagura abruptly asked, totally lost. It left Tomo confused too.

"It obviously means...that she's be happier with you...and not me," she said sadly, "and I want her to be happy..." she finished, and got up to leave. They wanted to say something, anything, but couldn't think at the moment. "Of course, that doesn't mean I'll give up. I'll just have to do more to make sure she loves me more than you." Yomi stated blatantly, a hint of challenge in her voice. She left the pair to head home.

"That was..." Kagura began.

"...totally messed up... but as long as she's being so passive, I'm not worried." Tomo informed her.

"Now...where were we?" Kagura implied as she shut and locked the door.

-----------

End of Chapter 10.

Well, tell me what you guys think! R&R as always, and sorry for the holdup with my other stories!


	11. Chapter 11

I've returned! And it's time to turn out some new stuff, so let's start here! I don't own Azumanga Daioh. But, you don't either. : P

Chapter 11, "A Change of Position".

So far, things between Tomo and Kagura had been strong. They did everything together, and the latter's experiments were becoming bolder. This, of course, irked Yomi to no end. At this rate, she'd lose any delusion of being with her childhood friend. And the more she brooded this ill ending, the more determined she became to do something about it. The question was simple: How? She hadn't the slightest clue what could have happened to turn the tide in Kagura's favor. She'd done everything right, hadn't she? There was a mutual understanding between herself and Tomo that the harsh words they exchanged weren't serious...right?

She sighed as she sat at her desk in her room, hovering over the homework that should have been started hours ago. "This whole thing has been going downhill from the start. If I want any chance now, I'll have to do something drastic...but...what opportunity would just present itself like that? It's just my luck..." she thought aloud, rubbing at her temples. She wasn't aware until several moments later that her phone was ringing. Sighing again, she picked it up.

"Hello...Oh, Chiyo-chan! What's up?" she asked, feeling somewhat better.

"Hello, Miss Yomi! Summer vacation's next week, and I'd like to ask if you'd want to go to the summer house with us again?" the young child replied.

"Uhm, well...hey, wait a minute," Yomi stopped in mid-thought, a devious plan forming in her mind, "is Tomo going?" she asked quickly.

"Uh? Yes, she is, I've already called her! So, will you be able to make it?" Chiyo answered.

"Yeah, of course! Thanks, Chiyo! I've gotta get off now, so I'll talk to you later, okay?" Yomi finished things up.

"Of course! Goodbye, Miss Yomi!" Chiyo ended, and hung up the phone. As Yomi set her hone down as well, her plan was in formation.

'_You bet I'm going to be there. I wouldn't pass this chance up for the world!'_ She thought, a smile playing across her face. This would be the perfect opportunity to play her cards right, and possibly boost her standing, in Tomo's eyes...

-----------

Once again, the group of girls assembled at the Mihama estate. Among the first there were Sakaki and Kagura. The former sat under the large tree in the front lawn with Mr. Tadakichi, while the latter fidgeted uncomfortably, awaiting her girlfriend's arrival.

"Something wrong? You look nervous..." Sakaki murmured, getting the other's attention.

"N-no, nothing's wrong. I'm just kind of...well, nervous." Kagura fumbled the same words Sakaki had just spoken, causing her to sweatdrop. Most of the others were surprised at how much, though little, the normally stoic girl had opened up since the whole affair between her three friends. But the thought passed, as peculiar things about her would pop up from time to time. Next to arrive was Osaka.

"Hey, ya'll. Are we the only ones here?" she drawled, still a bit tired from waking up earlier than usual.

"Yeah. Yomi should be here soon, and I'm sure Tomo's going to take her sweet time." Kagura replied, a bit bothered by the last fact. Lately, their contact had been a bit strained, with Tomo feeling guilty for not spending as much time with Yomi. She thought nothing of it up front, but that single twitch in the back of her mind told her to be more wary. However, her mind switched from concern to worst-case-scenario survival mode when the screeching of rubber on road alerted them to the arrival of one Yukari Tanizaki.

The safety-challenged teacher sped up the driveway, stopping short of the front patio.

"Another few yards and your insurance rates would be up! Wait...I don't think they go as high as you've got'em!" a familiar voice cackled at the scene.

"Tomo! You finally decided to show up, I see." Kagura greeted her with a tight hug.

"Hey, a gal like me has got to look perfect! I couldn't be seen out here without getting fully prepared!" her narcissistic companion responded.

"I'm sure. So, does that mean we just have to wait up on Yomi and Nyamo?" Yukari queried, exiting her battered car.

"Seems that way. Hmmm...It's rare for me to get anywhere on time before Yomi...I guess I'm rubbing off on her!" Tomo chuckled. Kagura frowned a bit; Tomo seemed to be thinking about Yomi more these days, and she didn't like it. Right on time, though, Yomi came up the walkway. She was greeted with a nod from Sakaki, a hello from Chiyo, Tomo jumping on her, and Kagura only acknowledging her presence with a nod. After that, though, they were puzzled when their other teacher hadn't shown up yet. Yukari called her, and came back outside with a grunt.

"Figures. Well, she won't be with us, she's sick. Which means..." she began grinning malevolently, sending a shudder of fear through all of the girls.

-----------

"Yay! We're here!" Tomo yelled, jumping out of the rented van. Getting out and taking a look, she then commented, "You know, you're not supposed to take rental cars to demolition derbies." And earned a rather large welt from the spot upon which Yukari promptly landed her fist.

"Quiet, you! I can't see _you_ doing any better when you get a license!" Yukari argued.

"Enough of this! It's time to head down to the beach!" Tomo exclaimed, making a run, only to be captured by Yomi.

"Do you have an ounce of patience in you?" she rebuked her with an exasperated tone. Kagura also looked on this with a suspicious eye, but wouldn't interfere too much, at least so as not to draw too much attention. As they entered the house, they noticed something amiss; Tomo was missing, again. Both Yomi's and Kagura's nerves popped at this, and they both started off to look for her.

"It's kinda like a soap opera, ain't it?" Osaka questioned randomly, although her statement did make sense.

"Eh? What is? Did I miss something?" Yukari asked, still unaware of the happenings of late.

"It's nothing. So, should we look for them?" Chiyo asked. "...Nah, they'll be fine. Well, I'm assuming..." their teacher waved it off.

"That's not very reassuring..." the rest of them sweatdropped.

Yomi and Kagura had split ways after they exited the summer home, each with their own agenda in mind. Tomo, on the other hand, was checking out the beach, eager as ever to get in the water. It wasn't until then that the thought dawned on her to ask Kagura to go with her. "Should I...? Hmmm...She'll be fine by herself for a while, ne?" she resolved, wandering around a while. After seeing what the strip of shoreline had to offer, she happened on Yomi.

"Yo! You were looking for me?" she called.

"There you are," Yomi grumbled, "what idea made you wander off this time?" she wondered.

"Nothin', really. Say...I know we've been kinda out of touch lately, so, do you wanna hang out or something?" The smaller girl said. The question in itself caught Yomi by surprise; wouldn't she want to be with Kagura instead?

"Uh...sure!" any ill will she held toward the hyper girl faded into obscurity as they went on their way.

-----------

Having failed to locate her partner, Kagura resigned herself to mulling about the house. "Yomi had better not try anything, or else...well, what am I thinking? It wouldn't matter; Tomo loves me, not her!" She thought. Still, something was giving her a bad feeling.

Meanwhile, Yomi and Tomo were enjoying themselves. While the others swam, they were lurking around the area, seeing what small shops and such had to offer. While in any other circumstance Yomi wouldn't have been caught dead masquerading around with Tomo, she was now just grateful that they could spend time together.

But her mind suddenly thrust forth her purpose for coming here: her plan. It was decided that she'd enact it later that night. And thus she plotted, up until their return to the house. Upon that return, however, was a fuming Kagura.

"Did you two enjoy yourselves?" she leered at both of them, Yomi in particular.

"Yeah! It was great! We went looking around, and found cool stuff, and-" Tomo would've continued, had Kagura not held up her hand.

"You could've invited me, you know?" she sounded hurt, and that automatically triggered Tomo's soft side.

"No, no, it wasn't like that! I, we, we just kind of bumped into each other, is all! We weren't planning on leaving you by yourself!" Tomo stammered.

"...So will you spend a little time with me now?" her girlfriend's voice lifted a bit.

"Of course! You don't mind, do you, Yomi?" Tomo turned to her friend, but found her gone. "Eh? She's acting weird again...oh well." She let it go as Kagura pulled her upstairs.

"No telling what she might be doing to her up there..." Yomi muttered, angry at herself for giving up her chance so easily. She sat outside on the balcony, as the sun began to set. "Why couldn't she be with me right now, seeing this?" she asked no one in particular. The entire ordeal was finally taking its toll on her, and for a second she considered giving up this futile game.

But she mentally slapped herself for thinking like that; it wasn't some game. She really cared for Tomo, she always had, and once again she resolved that tonight she would make things different. When Kagura came back down later, the sun just peeking above the ocean now, she jumped the opportunity and hurried to Tomo's room.

-----------

Hearing the knock, Tomo was perplexed. "You don't have to knock, come on in!" she called. She was surprised to see Yomi. "Yomi? Uhm, about before..." she began to make up an excuse, but stopped abruptly when the other girl locked the door behind her. "Y-you...you're not gonna beat me up are you?" she asked, half-joking, half-tense.

"What? Who do you think I am, some kind of barbarian?" Yomi recoiled, causing them both to laugh lightly, "and by the way, don't answer that question. It'll ruin the mood." She added quickly.

"So...what's up?" Tomo said, sensing the direction this was heading. Yomi considered running away right then and there, but steeled herself for whatever result she may face.

"I-it's about...you...you and Kagura..." she answered reluctantly.

"Y-Yomi...we've been through this..." Tomo avoided, looking out the window. The last of twilight covered the ocean now.

"But Tomo...isn't there anything? _Anything_ between us? We've been together for years! And I've watched you for so long, trying to take care of you in any way I could! I know you're independent, but I always wanted to be with you. I always acted harsh because I was afraid to act any other way around you..." Yomi couldn't stop the stray tears from falling now, and was on the verge of a breakdown.

Tomo looked on, stunned. She was having a hard enough time taking it everything that had just been said to her, everything that contradicted the way she'd perceived her best friend for years. Now, while she was a little overwhelmed, she brushed away the tears with a finger.

"Yomi...I...I've never had anyone...say anything like that to me before...and I'm not saying that there's nothing between us, it's just that Kagura makes me feel...special..." Tomo admitted, sitting fully upright now.

"I w-want to make you feel special too!" Yomi blurted, and they both blushed at the statement. Yomi was about to cry again, but Tomo, having only a small experience on this with Kagura, embraced her. This served 2 things: it truly comforted the larger girl, to know that Tomo cared, and also, it was the exact moment to put her plan into action.

-----------

Tomo was comfortable with the situation when Yomi returned the embrace; however, she didn't know what hit her when the other girl took the moment to push her back on the bed.

"Y-Yomi? W-what're you doing?" Tomo stuttered, a bit scared now. She backed away as the other girl advanced, but found her back against the headboard. In a flurry of movements, the event found Yomi straddling Tomo, holding the smaller girl by the wrists. While it wasn't nearly enough to hurt her, it made quite clear that the larger, and admittedly more powerful, girl wasn't about to let her go anywhere.

Tomo was shocked, scared, and a number of other feelings that left her feeling lightheaded. With nowhere to go, she panicked when Yomi began closing the gap between them. Before she could utter a protest, Tomo found Yomi's lips pressed against hers. But there was something about the kiss that felt new, something she hadn't felt as _strongly_ with Kagura. She felt sincere warmth of love in the kiss. Unintentionally she moaned, signaling Yomi to continue further. However, Tomo regained her composure at the last second.

Steadily, she pulled her wrists from Yomi's hands and moved her away. "Yomi, we can't..._I_ can't...it wouldn't be right." She protested.

"That's all right, Tomo. I'll see you in the morning, okay?" Yomi got up from the bed, walking to the door. As she opened it, she turned back to look at the confused girl one more time. She then smiled, a loving smile, and left Tomo to her thoughts. Absentmindedly, Tomo bought her fingers to her lips. Yomi's rather forceful display had shaken her to the core.

She found her loyalty to Kagura..._faltering_? Was that possible? Kagura gave her the same warm feeling inside as Yomi did, and yet...with Yomi, it seemed so much more, it was hard to describe. It might have just been because she thought Kagura was mad at _her_, but thinking through all the options took to great an effort after the interlude.

She let her head rest against the back of the bed. She suddenly felt exhausted, and wanted a little bit of sleep. That wouldn't come easy, to her dismay, as Kagura entered the room.

"Hey...what's the matter? You don't look so good. Are you sick or something?" she asked Tomo, who had paled because of her wonderful timing.

"I-it's nothing...let's just go to sleep...?" Tomo waved it off. Shrugging, Kagura turned off the light and got into bed with her, not uncommon now. She wrapped her arms around Tomo's waist, and kissed her before they both fell asleep.

-----------

Yomi was beside herself on what to do. On one hand, she was cheering inside that she hadn't been thrown away for what she did to Tomo.

On the other, she couldn't believe that fact: she had _forced_ herself on her, knowing full well that she could easily overpower her friend if she had a different mind set. And it reminded her of how much she wanted to protect Tomo. She now worried what Tomo would think of her. Would she be disgusted at what she had done to her? Would she accept this, considering the circumstances. Immediately, Yomi regretted the entire thing.

She went to sleep troubled, and would work to fix things the next day. The morning greeted them with a slightly overcast sky, nearly reflecting their moods. Yomi woke up from a rather difficult sleep, and was the second up. Seeing that the sky outside was still a semi-dark gray, it was still pretty early. Looking to the clock, it read 6:12 A.M. Though she tried, she couldn't get back to sleep.

Thus, she resorted to walking downstairs. As the large girl wandered the house, she came upon the door leading to the beach. It was slightly open, and it looked like it'd been fairly recent. _'Which one of them would be out at this hour? It's not like there's anything interesting at this time in the morning...'_ Yomi thought as she went to investigate. Upon her inspection, she found...Kagura? At that moment, she debated whether to disregard it, or to see if something was wrong. After what seemed like forever, her instinct as a friend won out, and she went to pry.

"Something that matter?" Yomi asked, startling Kagura.

"Wha...? Well, yeah, but not with me. Something's wrong with...with Tomo." The athlete answered. Yomi's mind was torn in half at the end of that statement. So her darker predictions had come true, then?

"W-wrong with her? Like what?" the intruder plied.

"She couldn't go to sleep for a while, and even then she was throwing a fit in her sleep. And...she kept muttering your name..." Kagura informed her, a poisonous edge to her words.

"Oh really? I'm...really not sure what to say about that. We haven't seen each other since we got back yesterday." She lied, her composure caving in. Kagura didn't respond at that, but simply turned to look out at the ocean.

'_I'll bet. She probably tried something last night. And I'm gonna figure out what it was, whether it's from her, or from Tomo.'_ She thought sharply. At the time, their love interest decided to wake up as well; sleep was worse than being tired right now.

-----------

Later that morning, everyone had gotten the chance to sleep in, and the group was assembled at the table in the living area. The atmosphere was awkward, however. The others looked between the three sitting at opposite sides from each other. Yomi would occasionally find Kagura glancing at her with a menacing look, before she'd turn back to Tomo. Tomo, on the other hand, would steal quick glances at Yomi, but couldn't seem to meet her in eye contact.

This, of course, was all very amusing to Yukari, who didn't have Minamo to torture this time. As the tension mounted, Yomi finally got worried and excused herself. "Well, this is pretty fun. Kinda like a drama, eh?" their teacher commented.

"Enough of this moping around! It's time to have a little fun!" Chiyo exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'd be up for swimmin', or maybe a game of volleyball." Osaka agreed, the two of them getting up. Sakaki followed, and Yukari went to go back to sleep. Rather dull, considering them, but they didn't have Tomo's antics or Kagura's competitive spirit to boost their morale. This left Kagura and Tomo alone, giving the former the chance to get some answers.

"Tomo, has...has anything been going on between you and Yomi?" she asked blatantly. Tomo failed to form the right words in her head, blushing like mad.

"N-n-nothing's going on...she just said some things t-that made me a b-bit uncomfortable." She stammered.

"Oh? You want I should have a talk with her about it?" her girlfriend defended, raising a fist.

"No! It's n-not really that important!" Tomo denied, flailing about.

"It had to have been worse than that, otherwise you wouldn't have been saying her name in your sleep." Kagura stated, which shook the girl opposite of her.

"I-I didn't really do that...did I?" Tomo demanded, the events of the previous evening flooding her thoughts now.

"Yeah, you did. And I want you to tell me what it was? Did she do something to you, or something?" Kagura was growing irritated, by both of them.

"Let's just drop it, okay?" her partner's resolve was wavering.

"Fine. You can tell me when you're ready." Kagura told her, and got up as if to leave.

"B-but...where are you going?"

"Out. I'll be back later." Kagura didn't so much as glance at her as she said the words. Hearing the door shut, and assuming Kagura would be angry, not Tomo, Yomi made her way to her younger friend.

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Yomi watched from the doorway as Tomo sat at the table, head in her folded arms. "Why does this have to happen to me? Why is she so pissed? She doesn't even understand what happened, she's just jumping to conclusions..." Tomo whispered, her heart aching. While for the past few months now she'd been an item with Kagura, her feelings were once again split down the middle since Yomi's actions.

"Tomo? What're you doing?" Yomi attempted to ask in her normal, uncaring manner.

"Ack! W-w-what're you doing here? You weren't s-spying on us, were you?" Tomo jumped at her, attempting to strike her.

"Calm down! You're acting like an idiot." Yomi dodged her half-willed attacks, and took her by the forearms.

"Let go of me! I'm sure you just wanna do what you did to me last night..." Tomo spat, surprising and worrying Yomi all the more.

"Tomo, get a grip! Last night was...was something I had to deal with. I'd wanted it for so long. My body took over when my mind said 'No'. I'm sorry if I hurt you at all." The older girl said, still holding Tomo tight.

"You d-didn't hurt me. Physically, anyway. You had to be a jerk a-and start messing with me, is that it?" she began sniffling, although the words were true to her normal nature. It seemed that they were finally fitting back into their normal roles as sensible and insane, but there was still a problem at hand, one Yomi intended to solve at that moment.

"No, I wasn't trying to hurt you in any way. Tomo, everything I said last night, and everything I did...I did because I love you. You're probably the most important thing in my life. I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part, but it's the truth." Yomi finally broke down, and dropped to Tomo's level.

Coupled with her already known feelings for Yomi, the events that had transpired since the entire mess began, and the harsh attitude of Kagura, Tomo's impulsive nature drove her to one conclusion; she tackled Yomi to the ground in a fierce hug and kissed her. This culmination completely baffled Yomi, but she returned the feelings nonetheless. After it was over they both sat up, Tomo blushing at her compulsive behavior.

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Kagura returned that evening to hear the others' laughter and recounting of the day's activities, but found Tomo nowhere. She was about to go after her, but remembered that she wanted to give Tomo some space. _'She's good at making me worry about her...and I hope I didn't sound too mean when I talked to her this morning. Maybe I should go look?'_ her brain went into overdrive from her concern for Tomo vs. her want to appease the confused girl's need for time.

She finally decided she'd give the other girl her room until tomorrow (both their actual room and thinking time), and moved to go to the last extra room. Had she chosen to return to their room, and look out toward the lookout point, she'd have noticed two people sitting close together. The skies had cleared through the day, and the sun once again sat without obstruction.

But the two girls watching it were blissful. Yomi stretched her arm and wrapped it around Tomo's shoulders, who lay her head against the other for support.

"Tomo, this is great...but...can it stay like this?" Yomi wondered aloud eagerly.

"The truth is...I don't really think I can be with either of you at the moment." Tomo replied, despondent.

"W-what! But Tomo...why not?" her admirer asked frantically. "I'm so confused right now it ain't funny. And you two are giving me a real headache with your fighting. Not to mention, that I hold the same feelings...for both of you." The smaller answered.

Yomi would have continued, but sensed that it would only lead to trouble. That didn't change her peace of mind that Tomo loved her, though. Or at least, there was a powerful bond similar to it. The events of late had seen the emergence of Tomo's more controlled and impressively smart mind, but she still retained her spunk as well, which was what made both of them fall in love with her in the first place. Reluctantly, the two returned to the summer home. They entered quietly; they'd come back pretty late. When Tomo returned to her room, she found it empty.

'_Is she really that mad at me? ...Oh well, it's not gonna matter when I tell her...'_ she thought with a sad smile. Until things cooled down, she figured, a working relationship wasn't possible. While a bit over the top, it was her way of reasoning, having never been in previous relationships and being fought over by two of them.

Yomi stayed with her a bit, before retiring to her own room. And for the first time in so long, she was content with the way things were happening.

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End of Chapter 11.

CLIFFHANGER! Tomo decides she can't choose again! Does this mean there'll be a renewed battle, considering her new feelings toward Yomi and her misunderstanding of Kagura's actions? R&R, please! I'll be updating soon, too!


	12. Chapter 12

I have returned, to sate growing questions about one of my ongoing projects. Rest assured, things are looking up. I'm inspired again, lol.

You know I don't own it, so don't accuse me of anything. . 

Chapter 12, "Keeping Vows".

As it was, the summer home incident was a travesty. Not only was Tomo slowly falling into Kagura's suspicion, but now she had Yomi to think about, the latter of which seemed to trouble her to no end. The return trip had been tense and silent; not that there was much to be said anyway. She hadn't yet told Kagura, and that would be the hardest part of all. How would the girl react? She was really sensitive, Tomo knew, but she was also just as likely to clobber her for "cheating on her", if just because she was Tomo.

'_It figures. It's a lose-lose situation for me as always. If they could've just been straight, I wouldn't have to deal with this!'_ she thought vehemently. Given, she hadn't denied either of them, but then it was all spiraling downhill fast from the beginning. She'd hoped she could be content, and get on with it, not intending her friends to have a near blood rivalry over her. She also wasn't too keen on the idea of returning to school, as she'd be in the vicinity of both of them for long bouts, and that was bound to cause excess friction. Deciding to put it out of mind for the time, she'd gone off by herself after settling in back at home.

Wandering aimlessly had seemed to help her in the past, so why not now?

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Kagura, on the other hand, was starting to become impatient. Tomo had yet to reveal the goings-on of the summer vacation, and they hadn't been together since. Not that she didn't want Tomo to have her privacy, but this was beating a dead horse, so to speak. The thought of pressing her on it was pliable at the moment, but considering the circumstances, it could only result in some kind of melodramatic confrontation. Probably with results for the worse. She glanced at the clock, making out 7:36 P.M. against a small group of items scattered across her nightstand.

Should she do a run before going to bed, or should she call Tomo, or should she just rest? For lack of knowledge about Tomo's presence at home, and being restless, the first option seemed tempting. Donning her sweatpants and a jacket, she exited her house, feeling the cool night breeze meet her. Starting down her street, she followed a route she normally took, past a small convenience store with a sakura tree on the middle. Throwing a look to it, it occurred to her that she'd never taken Tomo to watch the cherry blossoms. _'If she's in the mood, we'll have to do that some time. Considering her taste in...clothing, she might be into that sort of thing.'_ She grinned at the thought of a little secret she'd learned about Tomo earlier that year.

Reaching the end of her normal route, she looked at the point where her suburban surroundings transcended to steel and masses of people, the bright city lights illuminating the sky. In a rather impulsive move, she continued on, into the local city district where their school also resided. Albeit a bit difficult, she managed to work her way through the large crowds of late-night workers and teens that spilled from the woodwork when dusk fell. In the distance a large neon sign displayed the name of a well-known arcade.

'_...I've got plenty of time. And I wanna work off some steam.'_ Kagura decided as she ambled to her destination. Entering the gaming area, it was nearly filled to capacity.

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She played a series of fighting games, besting anyone who challenged her, amused at the small crowd that had gathered around her after a number of matches. She was about to leave, but glanced a familiar face among the crowd. Before she could get a better look, the face disappeared as quickly as it had come, blending into the crowd. Shaking an odd feeling off, she headed for the exit. Outside, back in the cool air, a large screen depicted the time as 8:57 P.M.

'_Was out longer than I thought. Which reminds me...which one of them would be out this late, and at the arcade, no less?'_ her mind shot back to that moment inside. Surveying the area, she saw no one she knew right off, and turned to head back home when she bumped foreheads with someone.

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"Hey! Watch it, j-" the voice began as Kagura doubled back, but stopped abruptly. The two faces gazed at each other momentarily before the realization struck:

"Tomo!" Kagura wailed, caught off guard. The other girl, found out, stumbled back a bit and donned an incredulous face.

"Err...hey. Sorry about that. I wasn't expecting you to pop out of nowhere." Tomo waved her forming insult off after a moment of hesitation. Kagura grinned at the excellent opportunity.

"No problem. Say, you wanna do something? It's still early." She suggested, having forgotten the time completely. Not seeing a way to escape, Tomo agreed, being dragged off by the other girl.

"What's up? I figured you'd be out jogging or something." Tomo finally spoke up after several moments of silence.

"Ah, I was at first. But I was kinda bored, and I guess I just sort of wandered in here. I was in the arcade earlier." She elaborated.

"So that was you drawing the crowd? What happened, did you break something?" Tomo chuckled, fending off the half-willed batting at her.

"Hardly. So, that was you I saw in there. I didn't figure you to go out and do this kind of stuff alone." Kagura remarked offhandedly.

"Well, normally I don't, but..." her partner began to respond, before halting, not wanting to drudge up memories. She still had something she had to do.

"Yeah, we haven't done anything together in a while," Kagura said, thinking back on how things had been as of late, "so I was thinking, was there anything you'd be up for? Shopping? A movie? I mean, it's kinda late, but-" she rambled on, before she felt herself be stopped. Tomo grasped her arm, stopping the pull she'd been exerting previously.

"Actually, I just wanted to talk, but I can see how your short attention span couldn't take that for too long." She chuckled at the indignant look her friend flashed.

"I wouldn't be talking about short anything, Miss 154 cm." Kagura declared, dodging a rush from the hyper girl.

"What's 2 cm? Don't even try to get off on that. Anyway, come on, it's kinda late." Tomo replied, and the moment found them headed back toward the calmer housing division.

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Little was said on the trip, which was bad, as Tomo had stated the need to talk; Kagura would no doubt get suspicious if they didn't start soon. Looking a little farther forward, she recognized Kagura's house, and she floundered. She was in enemy territory, so to speak. There was no telling what would happen when she told the girl, and wasn't optimistic about making a scene.

Yet, she didn't resist when the other girl began leading her there. Slowly, she felt her resolve melting, and she began losing her cool as they entered the home. "Uh, so, is it okay if you stay over? Dinner's about done, so you don't have to worry about that." Kagura asked, taking off her jacket. Tomo watched the other girl, and she felt the last of her initial will slip as she submitted and agreed to stay for dinner. Both of them entering the kitchen, she watched as Kagura's mother placed a series of plates on the table.

"That smell's great! I might just have to get all of it." Tomo stated as she drifted over to the table.

"Oh, hello, Tomo! I didn't know we were having company over. Do your parents know you'll be dining with us?" she asked.

"Ah, actually, I guess I do need to call them, eh?" Tomo agreed, heading to the living room to dial up her home. She noticed Kagura watching her expectantly, knowing the other girl expected her to ask for the night over. As the phone rang, she could already here the other girl clearing it with her mom. She got the go-ahead from her parents after assuring them that she'd be home tomorrow night. With no red tape left, she returned to a waiting Kagura as she made conversation with her mother about what was going on lately.

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Finishing up after dinner, Kagura took Tomo's arm and led her upstairs, eager to get her alone. Both of them walked down a small hallway and used the small washroom to brush their teeth before Tomo was once again dragged along, this time to Kagura's room. She felt herself lightly pushed in, and heard the lock click as the door closed behind them. A cool sweat began as she anticipated where this was heading, but continuing her course through the night, she allowed herself to be pulled over to sit on the bed.

It somewhat surprised her that she hadn't been engaged in some sort of physical contact, so she chanced glancing to the other girl, seeing a nervous expression.

"Uhm. Is there anything you want to talk about yet?" Kagura asked bluntly, deciding that both of them had put this conversation off for long enough. There was no chance to avoid it now, and Tomo let out a heavy sigh.

"During the trip. Yomi...Yomi kissed me, told me she loved me, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't want you to start a fight over it..." she confessed, finding the floor interesting. It was a powerful blow to Kagura, who had suspected some, but not all, of what had just been said. To her credit, she didn't fly off the handle, although she wanted to.

"So she just forced herself on you? Or what?" she asked, pleading with herself that she was right.

"Technically, yeah. But..." Tomo answered, trailing off.

"But?" Kagura urged her on.

"I didn't stop her, either..." the words hit Kagura like a sack of bricks. Tomo expected to be berated, thrown out, anything. She became even more furtive when none of these happened. Instead, she became nervous when the other girl started chuckling.

"W-what is it? Cut that out." Tomo said, looking squarely at her now. Kagura stopped, and looked at her.

"So, is that _all_? Or is there more? After all, you seem to be good at forgetting key details." She said half-heartedly, standing. She walked over to the window, looking out and up at the sky, before asking, "So, what. Is that it? Is this it? For us?". A small war began in Tomo's mind.

'_S-she just brought it up. No guilt now, she's waiting for it. Yes, it's through. Yes! Say YES!'_

"No." Tomo answered, standing and slowly walking over to join Kagura. The latter turn abruptly, shocked. She's expected the other girl to say yes.

"D-do you really mean that? You won't go running around...with her anymore?" She said everything slowly, wanting her point across. Against her will, Tomo nodded. Relief flooded over Kagura as she embraced the other girl.

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"You're not mad at me?" Tomo asked, dumfounded.

"Of course I am. But if you're being honest, I'll let it go." Kagura answered, releasing her after several moments. Her eyes narrowed, and she added, "And you'd _better_ be telling the truth. I'll make you regret it if you aren't." She sat down, reveling in the replenished joy she hadn't felt in a while. Tomo, still feeling guilty, and mentally hanging herself for not breaking it like she had planned. But, for reasons unknown to her, she didn't feel regret, and she didn't lament what she'd said.

Things had a semblance of normalcy again, something that they both needed. Suddenly, an idea lit up in Kagura's head, and she launched up too join Tomo.

"W-whoa, whoa. You're not gonna jump me now, are you?" Tomo joked, raising her arms in defense.

"Oh please, give it a rest. I just got an idea. If anything, it'll make us inseparable." Kagura beamed, and the other girl suddenly became suspicious. "We should make vows to each other, or something! That way, we can't go with anyone else." The athlete suggested, taking Tomo's hands in hers.

"Eh? What do you mean?" Tomo asked, puzzled.

"Promise me that you won't mess around with anyone else. That you'll stay with me, no matter what happens." Kagura said, almost pleaded.

This was probably the last chance Tomo had to break it, to say no, to leave. Instead, she answered "Yeah...I promise."

"...Thank you, Tomo. It means a lot to me." Kagura hugged her tightly, but decided not to take it further. Enough had already been done and said for that night. Instead, the both prepared for bed, with little discussion between them. Wearing a simple nightshirt and her sweatpants, Kagura hopped onto the bed. She had given Tomo some of her bed clothes to wear, which fell a little loosely around the other girl's less toned frame.

Tomo joined her, and the two lay together as Kagura switched the lights off and set the alarm.

"Good night, Tomo." Kagura said, embracing the addressed girl.

"Yeah, good night." Tomo replied.

"I love you, Tomo..." Kagura murmured before falling asleep.

It came naturally to her, and Tomo felt reassured by it. "Love you too." She responded, joining the other girl in sleep. For a time, it appeared, things were stable again, although completely opposite Tomo's plans. While she had a sneaking suspicion this might cause trouble later, she didn't care at the moment. Kagura was there, and that was all she needed.

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End of Chapter 12.

So, it's been a while, and I just whipped this up at like, 2:30 in the morning, finished a couple of hours later. XD So, tell me how it is. I've gotta sleep now, lest I get in trouble at school today. R&R please. :3


	13. Chapter 13

Getting back into the habit of updating. :3 Hope you guys'll stick around a bit longer, cause this one's almost finished.

A/N: The opening paragraph is what some might consider risqué. There's nothing _expressly_ indecent going on, just some thoughts on the side of one of the characters. So, don't get all up in my case about that please. XD

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 13, "One For The Money, Pt. 1".

'_She held her close, tight, as they kissed, longing for what was coming. She stroked the other girl's hair, lightly sliding her hands over the small girl's back, her face, her sides, before unbuttoning the shirt in her way. Slowly, she pushed the girl onto her back, placing delicate kisses on her cheek, jaw, collarbone, progressing lower. Her partner gasped at the contact, a go-ahead for her to continue. She inched down, bit by bit, until she reached the end. At this, she-"_

Kagura's head jerked up in a split second, and she immediately surveyed her surroundings. She made sure that she was in her room, that she was in bed, that no one else was with her, that she had just been dreaming. Images came flooding back into her mind, and a deep feeling of guilt rose in her as she blushed and wiped a cold sweat from her face.

Taking stock of the situation, she checked the clock. It read 5:17 A.M., meaning roughly two hours before school began. Leaving her room, she walked down the hallway, intent on taking a shower. As she drew the water, the only thing on her mind was that dream, and the other person in it; predictably, her girlfriend.

'_That was...that...I can't believe I even dreamed that! I mean, that's wrong, isn't it? We're still teens. And that just came out of nowhere this time..._' she alluded to the past. She'd been having dreams, at first starting out with innocent things, but then advancing into more active territory. The thought made her extremely embarrassed, both because that was still a long way off, and because she longed for it to be real; not just some dream that kept reminding her.

She washed off quickly, and exited the shower. As she readied for school, a thought occurred to her. However, she immediately shot it down, her cheeks coloring again. "There's no way she'd...ugh, I need to get my mind off of this. It's only gonna lead to trouble." With that, she put on her shoes, and left the house, bidding farewell to her mom. She jogged the usual distance to Tomo's home, her eyes narrowing as she spied the large grin plastered on the other girl's face.

"Heya, Kagura! Took you long enough, I was beginning to think you might be slouching on your exercise." Came the informal greeting, as Tomo stepped forward to join her.

"At least I get exercise. Which one of us can't even come close to beating Sakaki?" Kagura retorted, shifting her eyes at the unfazed girl.

"Touché, Kagura, I'll give you that. Then again, I'm surprised you're faster, since you've got a lot more weighing you down than I do." Tomo plied once again, her eyes making a beeline for a familiar area. Processing the insinuation, Kagura blushed and batted her away as they began their walk toward school. It was these moments that Tomo enjoyed, where there was nothing unexpected or compromising coming up; just the moments where they could be themselves, as they always had been in the past.

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Entering the upstairs floor, they spied Osaka glancing out the window. She gave a small wave as they approached her. "So, the Athletic Festival's comin' up. You two gonna try and beat Miss Sakaki again? I hope I do good in the obstacle course this year. Wonder what kinda candy they'll have...?" The girl drawled, trailing off into her own world.

"That does bring up a spectacular point. I'm gonna put Sakaki and _you_ in your places this year!" Tomo declared, leveling a finger at an indignant Kagura.

"As if! You'll collapse halfway through one lap, like you always do!" Kagura shot back.

"Oh ho? Make that three-fourths of the way, my dear Kagura." Tomo responded, as if it were something to be proud of. Kagura simply deadpanned and dragged both of the girls to class. Already present were Sakaki, Chiyo, Yomi, and, to the Bonkuras' surprise, both Yukari and Nyamo.

"Hey, coach! What's up? You kinda tend to stay away from this place." Kagura chuckled. Before Nyamo could respond, Yukari thrust her out of the way.

"We're making a wager! If we win the Sports Festival, she's gonna-" Yukari ranted before being silenced by the more stable teacher.

"I never agreed to a wager on _anything_! Stop putting words in my mouth! Anyway, the festival's about having fun, not some half-baked scheme to get a little extra cash. If you'll excuse me, I've got a class to tend." Minamo excused herself from the room, as Yukari mumbled an undoubtedly foul series of sentences at her.

"Bah. What's competition without a little something on the line? I swear, she needs to loosen up more than anyone I've met in my life." Yukari continued as she took a seat at her desk.

"I agree one-hundred percent, Miss Yukari! Maybe we ought to squeeze it out of her!" Tomo chanted, only to have her cheeks grabbed by Kagura. Mimicking the move, a face-grab fight ensued between the two as the rest of the class looked on in mild amusement.

"Go, go! Make her face look like an alien." Osaka cheered, to the great bewilderment of her friends.

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Yukari proceeded to voice her demands on behalf of her bet that her class overwhelmingly win the festival. Tomo, much to the others' chagrin, agreed, nominating herself, Sakaki, Kagura and Yomi to win single-handedly.

"Honestly, the two of you need to cool it. It's just a few games. You make it sound like someone's life is at stake. Besides that, making bets on these things are a surefire way to lose more than you gain." Yomi chided, bringing upon her head the wrath of Yukari.

"Look, I need money, so my life IS on the line! And I expect you _all_ to make your best effort to bring home the gold! That includes you, Chiyo-chan. No slacking this year!" Yukari howled at the child, causing her to cower. Sakaki attempted to shield Chiyo from their teacher's onslaught, while Yomi's mind focused on the festival.

'_Given, it's nothing to get worked up over. But, just maybe, I can use this to my advantage...and stop Tomo from cracking her weight jokes, all in one fell swoop.'_ A grin slid across her face as she developed a new strategy to impress her crush. It was common knowledge that she didn't have Sakaki's speed, or Kagura's endurance, but if she put in a little extra effort and prepped herself, she might be able to catch the spotlight for a short while, or, more accurately, winning Tomo's admiration. Thus, she set upon herself the task of becoming a steadier athlete, although time was scarce.

Kagura, on the other hand, was certain that she'd have no problem leaving the other two girls in the dust. "I've been swimming and practicing all year, so there's no possible way I can lose. You're gonna get ousted this year, Sakaki!" Kagura announced, turning to the large girl. Sakaki stared blankly at her momentarily before sweating; having hoped the other girl had forgotten their 'rivalry'.

"Admit it. You're totally thinking you can destroy me out there, but I've had enough of that. I'm putting my foot down now!" Kagura continued, growing more enthusiastic as she went on.

"N-no, I...I never thought..." Sakaki stammered her words, trying to avoid the confrontation she knew was coming. Luckily, Tomo grabbed the swimmer from behind, bear hugging her and sparing Sakaki from some kind of dramatic challenge.

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Lunch came, and the cafeteria was filled with talk about the festival, what events would take place, and who was poised to do well; namely the girls of Class 3.

"So how do ya think you'll do, Miss Kagura?" Osaka asked as she attempted separating her chopsticks.

"Ah, I'll do fine. All I gotta worry about is outrunning Sakaki and Yomi." She replied, eyeing the other two girls.

"HEY! What about me? I'm just as fast as either of them, probably both of them put together! I'll-" Tomo ranted, before Kagura shoved a small piece of egg roll in the wildcat's mouth. Glaring at Kagura, Tomo took the hint and ate the food.

"We already had that discussion, remember? Or can't your knucklehead brain keep that much in memory?" she continued, nearly making Tomo choke. Before the girl could fire back, though, Yomi intervened.

"So, Kagura, you're planning on taking Sakaki and me. What do you say to a wager on the winner?" she baited, hoping the other girl would take. Kagura eyed her suspiciously.

"Didn't Miss Yomi just say that making bets was bad?" Chiyo whispered to Osaka.

"Maybe she's tryin' to psyche Miss Kagura out. Ya know, like a psychologist? Maybe Yomi's gonna become a famous psychologist, like that Fraud fella." Osaka answered, and Chiyo, not fully understanding, agreed with her out of simplicity. "I think you mean Freud, don't you?" Chiyo answered scratching her head.

"What kind of bet...?" Kagura inquired, still weary of the situation.

"The loser gives the winner enough money to cover a trip for two anywhere in the city." Yomi said nonchalantly, but Tomo, Kagura and, to some extent, Sakaki, could see where this was heading.

"Oh really? You're on! And the loser can't say a thing in protest about who the winner takes, or where." Kagura fell for Yomi's trap, certain of her chances at winning. They shook on the deal, with Tomo sweatdropping at the foolishness of the situation.

'_A girl after my own heart, I have to admit. Heh, she's starting to act like me. Wonder if that's good?'_ Tomo thought as she watched Yomi smirk. A short while later, a loud bell rang, signifying the end of the lunch period. As the students exited, Yomi spied Tomo and Kagura walking together through the crowd.

However, rather than contempt, she felt an air of pride about her as she played her strategy through her head. _'I shouldn't feel torn up about it, because soon, there'll be no need to feel bad. Tomo will pick me in the end, I'll make certain of it.'_

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Walking home from school, Tomo caught up alongside Kagura and looked at her for several moments before she spoke up. "So, why did you accept her bet?" she asked, and Kagura glanced at her in confusion.

"What do you mean? Because there's no way I can lose. She basically just agreed to pay for me taking you out on a date this weekend!" She chuckled, placing an arm around Tomo's shoulders.

"But, come on. You've got to give her a little more credit than that. She wouldn't make any bet that risky unless she was pretty sure she would win it." Tomo insisted, but stopped as Kagura's finger closing her lips.

"Let's not worry about it yet. Right now's just for us, okay?" she stated, and it was enough for Tomo.

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End of Chapter 13.

I'll have Part 2 up in no time, ok? See ya then! R+R please. :3


	14. Chapter 14

-.- Here I am, writing from Notepad. This sucks, but it's the situation until I get my new computer. So, sorry for the wait. And thanks for the review. XD Notice singular. 

Disclaimer: I own nothing but an incomplete set of the DVDs (which will be complete shortly).

Chapter 14, "One For The Money, Three For The Show".

The unyielding ringing of her alarm clock woke Tomo from her light slumber. However, after remembering what day it was, she brightened up. Today was the day of the Sports Fest. And that meant she could totally destroy Kagura and prove her wrong. _'I can just see it now. I'll beat her by, like, half the marathon, and she'll have to take back all that crap she spouts about me sucking at sports! You'll get yours, Kagura, just wait!'_ she told herself as she jumped out of bed to get ready. In no time, she was out the door, running to the school in order to beat Kagura and possibly Yomi.

Glancing at the sky, it was a great day, but looking over to the West found a few stray clouds lingering. Passing through the gates, she pushed through the throngs of people, into the school. She changed her shoes, and ran full speed up the stairs to Yukari's class, nearly tripping along the way. Opening the door, the sight of Yomi smirking greeted her.

"WAA. What the hell! Do you live here or something?!" she yelled, stomping up to the now annoyed brunette.

"It's called waking up early. You should try it some time. So, are you ready to get beaten, like always?" Yomi asked.

"My dear Koyomi-chan, waking up early stresses the body in preparation for such a big event, so I took the liberty of sleeping regular hours." the short girl explained, stressing the name in an obnoxious manner and waving a finger.

"And how do you figure that? Nothing you do seems to help anyway. You couldn't win if you slept for a couple years." Kagura said, entering the room.

"Must I bring up the ch-" Tomo started, before her mouth was grabbed by both girls. "Don't even say it!" they said simultaneously.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. Silencing the truth will make you stupid, girls." Tomo told them, slipping out of their grasp.

"Like you've got anything to tell, Tomo. Now everyone shut up!" Yukari shouted, effectively shutting the classroom down. "Now, as you all know, this is an important battle this year. My money to pay for an expensive dinner is at stake," the teacher began, earning the dread of her students and a shout from the next room, "and so I'm counting on you all to deliver me- err, US, to victory! Go team!" she finished.

"Uhm, Miss Yukari! You should totally buy us juice if we win. And that doesn't count every event!" Tomo piped up.

"Why are you aiming so low? We need ABSOLUTE VICTORY! Class 2 will be demolished this year, just like before! And for that, we're relying on Sakaki and, of course, Kagura! Why do you think you're even here?" their sadistic teacher cackled.

"Class 2? What's so special about them?" Kagura whispered.

"That's Miss Kurosawa's class." Osaka told her, as the athlete glanced back to the front. _'I knew it.'_ Yomi and Kaorin thought.

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"Alright, Yomi, this is nothing. You can do this. This is what you've planned for all week." the tall girl spoke to herself as she walked out into the field. The numerous other classes were setting up their stands, and she was moving to do the same with the other girls. As they readied, she stretched and warmed up while Tomo, Chiyo, and Osaka went to participate in the shooting contest.

"WAA! Yomi and Kagura aren't even in this! I wanted to rub my huge victory in their faces!!" Tomo wailed, walking to her position and glancing at the other two. Kagura stood with Sakaki and looked from the sidelines.

"Geez, they're hopeless. Let's just try our best." she stated, looking up to the other girl. Sakaki simply nodded, looking elsewhere at another interest. She blushed absentmindedly at the thought and returned her gaze to the shooting contest, which was over by this point. She could see Chiyo cheering, as she'd made one in the basket. Next, Kagura watched as Tomo and Chiyo got ready for the ball rolling contest.

"We're gonna do our best! Right, Chiyo-chan?" Tomo gave her a thumbs-up, to which the small girl nodded enthusiastically. At the gun, in a brutal display of force, Tomo ran forward as fast as she could, leaving Chiyo behind. The small girl ran forward, and , catching on, was flung forward, and subsequently run over by the ball.

_'Ugh. Leave it to her to overdo it like that.'_ Kagura sighed, putting a hand to her head in frustration. She walked over, and helped Chiyo to her feet. Making their way back to the group, they noticed Osaka staring blankly toward the field.

"Hey, What's up, Osaka? You look kind of...out of it." Tomo asked, to which everyone sweatdropped.

"I'm waitin' for the obstacle course. I wanna get the candy." the spacey girl drawled.

"Candy? HEY! Why aren't I getting any candy?! This is discrimination!" Tomo yelled.

"Will you give it a rest? It's part of the course. You stick your face in flour and get the candy." Yomi explained as they announced the start of the event.

"Why is Osaka doing it anyway? Isn't she, like, the worst person to do a puzzle or something?" the wildcat continued.

"Well, she said she really wanted to do it..." Yomi trailed off as they watched her get past the net and to the flour box. As Osaka dunked her head in, she pulled back out, and stuck it back in, laughing. Earning scowls from the rest of Class 3. After it was over, they surrounded her.

"Here, Miss Osaka. Wipe your face off with this." Chiyo offered her a towel.

"YOMI! You, Chiyo, Osaka, and me are up for cavalry battle!" Tomo announced.

"What?! Why us four?" Yomi demanded. "Let's rock-paper-scissors to see who goes where!" Tomo suggested.

"Rock, paper, Scissors!" they shouted, Tomo putting forth scissors, while the other three were paper. "HA! I WIN! Hoist me up, you peons!" she declared, to which Yomi chopped her in the head. Chiyo at the bottom, with Yomi and Osaka supporting her started to not look as well as they'd hoped.

"We should redo, because someone was late." the largest girl growled.

"Aww, c'mon. Who throws a game like that? Right, Osaka?" Tomo shot back.

"...Ya sure are good at rock-paper-scissors, Tomo." she replied after a moment.

"Ya see? It's settled!" the lead girl said, mounting up.

"This is the worst possible combination." Yomi muttered as they lined up. The gun shot off, and the teams were at each other.

"Hey, let's move! We're entering the fray too!" their horseman declared.

"Chiyo, are you alright?" Yomi asked, concerned for the tiny girl at the bottom. "I-I'm f-fine." she answered.

"To the right! Right!" came the order. "Uhh. Which one?" Osaka fumbled, looking back and forth.

"The one you hold your chopsticks with!" Yomi answered. To her horror, Osaka let go of Tomo to check the side, nearly toppling them all over. "If you've got it, then get a hold of her!"

"What's with this? Use your stupid brute force!" Tomo yelled.

"You're the stupid one here!"

"HEY! Mutiny, eh? I'm the captain of this ship, and if you don't like it, you can go overboard!" Tomo screamed.

"Gladly!" Yomi answered, at which point Chiyo lost her balance, bringing them all down.

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"Come on, Yomi. You know I didn't mean it! It was just the heat of the moment." Tomo tried to quell the angry girl, to no avail. Instead of answering, though, she simply stood her ground and went to get herself and Chiyo some juice. Handing Chiyo one, she popped the other open.

"C'mon, babe, you know you gotta talk to me sooner or later. You know ya love me like that!" the hyper teen emphasized, hitting a weak spot in the indignant girl.

_'That's precisely the problem.'_ Yomi mentioned internally as she brought up the can to take a drink.

"W-WHA? JUICE? But Miss Yukari's getting us juice!" Tomo wailed, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"That doesn't mean we can't drink anything all day. We need to rehydrate ourselves, right?" Yomi replied, taking another drink.

"Drink water then! You should be drinking water!" the other girl tiraded.

"You can if you want. Go on." came the blunt reply. And Tomo did run off, to which Yomi smirked. But she was back in a matter of seconds, and without warning, grabbed Yomi's drink and gulped the whole thing down. "HEY! That's MINE, jerk!" she yelled. After thinking for a moment, though, she considered the situation; Tomo had just drank from the same can, in the same place. _'...A-an indirect kiss?'_ she blushed at the thought, but was interrupted by Tomo.

"Hey, look at that." she pointed to a woman walking near the parking lot.

"Mr. Kimura's wife..." Chiyo said, awed. They followed her discreetly, can still in hand.

"Let's see how good a person she is." Tomo whispered, rolling the ca in front of her. They watched as Mrs. Kimura chased th can, only to run head-first into a pole. Recoiling, she picked the can up and threw it in a trash bin.

"Wow. She ain't that bad after all!" Tomo said, as the older woman turned and came up to them.

"Hello! Oh, you must be Chiyo-chan, right?" she greeted, causing the child prodigy to blush.

"Ah, yes, ma'am. Uhm...how did you know my name?"

"My husband is a teacher here, and he told me that a cute little girl attends this school." she explained, smiling. They noticed her carrying a small lunch box with her as well.

"Aw, a home-made lunch from a loving wife!"

"Oh, no. he calls it a 'love-wife lunch'." she told them, to which they all blanched.

_'L-Love-wife?'_ Tomo and Yomi thought internally. "So, err. What do you like about Mr. Kimura?" Tomo asked, oblivious to the rudeness of the question.

"Well...he's really cool! You know how clothes from the 70's came back, like in a trend?" she stated, another large smile adorning her face. This left the girls nearly out cold.

_'N-no, I don't understand. No matter how many cycles there are, Kimura doesn't fit in any of them!'_ Tomo told herself.

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"Next is this year's Cheerleading Contest," a voice announced over the speakers, "please line up in front of the judging panels."

Chiyo, Tomo, and Osaka were this years participants for Class 3. As they began, it was quite obvious that Osaka wasn't keeping time with them, but that was beyond the judges, whose concentration was on the cute little girl in their ranks.

"She's even more adorable than last year!"

"That's Class 3, right? My vote's on them!" came numerous voices from among the panel. As others gathered to watch them, Yomi and Kagura were watching Tomo, who as usual was putting 200 percent of her effort into her cheers. A smile graced Kagura's lips as she made her way over to warm up for the marathon. Yomi looked over at Kaorin, who seemed to be without a partner for the three-legged race. Yukari called on Sakaki, the de facto running leader of the class, to take Chihiro's place.

Something twinged inside Yomi, but it was something minor nagging in the back of her head, and she watched the two run. They placed first, as expected, and it was finally her time to shine in the next event. _'Alright, Kagura, it's about time someone wipes out that arrogant stance of yours. And I'll make sure it's me.'_

They lined up at the starting point, Yomi and Kagura along side Tomo, Sakaki near them, and Chiyo and Osaka hanging more to the rear. At the gun, they were off, Tomo sprinting forward for a large lead over the others. Kagura balked.

"What is she thinking? She'll totally wear herself down doing that. I knew it all along! So much for her 'full-proof plan to beat me'." she said between breaths, keeping along with Sakaki. Her target of interest changed, however, as Yomi slowly passed by them. They glanced at each other momentarily, before Yomi charged ahead to catch up with Tomo. Losing her cool, Kagura did the same, and before long they caught up with the faltering wildcat.

"What's wrong, Tomo? You're not tired, are you?" Yomi asked, chuckling at the beaten girl.

"You shut up. I'd like to see you finish this without getting tired. Besides, you could burn the calories anyway." Tomo retorted, earning her a swift jab to the head.

"Then I'll see you at the finish line!" her taller companion shot back, running ahead, Kagura coming up from behind. The swimmer slowed down momentarily to keep pace with Tomo.

"Hey, you alright? You really shouldn't be so impulsive." she mocked the other girl's normally confident tone.

"Don't even start. This isn't over yet, so I can still kick your ass!" Tomo declared, her energy recharged, and she began sprinting again. Kagura could only stare and gape.

"Where the hell does all that energy come from?!" she cried as she ran to keep up with them. Yomi had come to first in their little bet, and was intent on keeping it that way. She could vaguely hear the bickering of the couple behind her, but put it out of mind, focusing on the turn at which they would head back to the school.

_'Yes, I've made it this far! I just have to pace myself, and it'll be fine!'_ she reassured herself as she made the halfway point.

"N-no, I can't lose! I'll look like a total idiot if they both beat me!" Tomo whined as she passed the same point, watching kagura easily pull up to Yomi in the distance.

"I'll give you credit for doing this good, but I'm afraid that date is mine!" Kagura snickered, watching the grimace on Yomi's face, fully aware that the less-conditioned girl was doomed to cramp up or simply slow down.

"We'll see...you just wait, it's not over 'til it's over."

"I couldn't have said it better myself. See ya!" She said, and moved to pull ahead, but was startled as Tomo flashed past both of them, racing toward the school. Struggling to keep up, the other two girls chased her for several kilometers, to no avail. Finally, both their love interest and the school came into view, and Sakaki was a little behind them, long with a couple other students.

-----------

'This is it! The final stretch!' all three girls told themselves simultaneously. The positions had Tomo 1st, with Yomi and Kagura tied for 2nd.

"I won't lose. I _won't_!" Yomi gasped, trying desperately to gain the advantage on Kagura. Tomo's boundless energy ceased at the last moment, and both girls passed her with little trouble. Needless to say, the boastful girl didn't take this too well, and struggled to return, but ultimately it was useless.

The faculty, especially Minamo, watched, shocked, as Yomi made a final flash ahead of Kagura, taking the win.

Seeing her victory crumble before her, Kagura let herself collapse, exhaustion overwhelming her. She fell to her knees, gripping at the ground beneath her in anger and disbelief. Yomi stood ahead, supporting herself weakly as she managed a small smile.

"When you lay the cards down, determination beats experience in the most unexpected ways." she whispered to herself, relief flooding her. She'd take Tomo out, and Kagura would finance it to boot. Mind backtracking, Kagura glanced back as Tomo passed the finish line, in a far lesser place than she'd started out at. Kagura allowed herself some sort of happiness as well, walking over to support the weakened girl.

"I have to admit, you keeping the lead that long was impressive. I'm ashamed, though...I lost." she began to give way, letting herself slacken up.

"Don't feel that way. Sure, you didn't win. And you got beaten by Yomi, of all people," Tomo said, as Kagura narrowed her eyes, "but you looked great out there. And, hey, it's all for fun, right? Am I right? of course I am! So cheer up, girl." Tomo's eyes sparkled as she made an honest, but decidedly misguided, attempt to get her girlfriend's good demeanor back up.

"Thanks, Tomo. I guess you did alright, after all that big talk before." she laughed, poking Tomo in the head.

"Hey, hey, let's not dwell on the past! Besides, I totally lead that for almost the whole thing. So don't get started!" they took comfort in each other's assurances, eyed by their prime competitor. As they were about to continue, a small rumble of thunder was heard in the distance. Looking at the sky, it had clouded up without their noticing, and were getting darker by the minute.

_'Doesn't look like we'll be having our date tonight. But I can wait. Now I can set everything up in advance.'_ Yomi schemed as she walked over to join the others.

"Hey, Yukari! About that juice." Tomo started, looking for their teacher, who was currently off antagonizing Class 2. It had been announced that Class 3 had one, yet again.

"What do you expect? We're the best team there is!" Kagura shouted, wrapping her arm around Tomo's shoulder. Sprinkles of rain began to fall, and the students retreated inside to discuss the events amongst different classes.

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Thunder roared and lightning flashed outside, as Tomo sat on Kagura's bed, talking to the other girl about her athletic career. "Anywhere that's got a good swimming team is where I'm shooting for. I'm almost certain I can make it professionally." Kagura elaborated, looking at a list of colleges in the area. her attention switched to Tomo, who was looking out the window rather than following the discussion. "Something wrong?" she asked, getting up to sit on the bed with her.

"We're going for completely different places. If we both do our own careers..."

"We might end up separated." Kagura finished for her. Tomo nodded forlornly. "That's something we'll have to look at when the time comes. But, for now, we should just fool around and live it up while we can, right?" Kagura asked, which put Tomo back in a good mood.

"Oh, and by the way," the room's proprieter said, getting the guest's attention, "since I beat you so badly today, I think I should get a reward." with that, she took hold of Tomo and kissed the unsuspecting girl. Before she could respond, she was on her back, Kagura deepening the kiss. Before long, she felt a hand caressing the side of her face, and the kisses start to descend.

She was at a loss for words, and was utterly melting into the attention. But lust gave way to reason, and she firmly stopped Kagura in her tracks. The athlete doubled back, realizing what she'd started, and she hastily released Tomo and backed away.

"I...I'm sorry, Tomo. I just...I didn't realize what I was doing, and, and I thought you wanted it...I'm sorry!" She cried, waving her hands around.

"It's alright, settle down. I do want it, but...not here...not yet. It's too soon." Tomo blushed crimson, breathing loudly as she savored every bit of what had just occured. "And, kinda warn me next time, okay?" she added, to which Kagura grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry again. Uhm. But, can we still...?" she pried, and Tomo gave in, embracing the other girl and indulging in a less straightforward, but just as passionate, display before they decided to go to sleep. It seemed that, despite her failure at the Sports Fest, kagura still won out in the end, in more ways than one.

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End of Chapter 14.

And, here she is. A more orderely timeline will procede now that I have a good grasp of where to go from here. And I'll try to keep updating on schedule. So, for now, see ya! Goota start on the next one. XD


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